Long-range magnetic order in the porous metal-organic framework Ni(pyrazine)[Pt(CN)4].

A combined study involving DFT calculations, neutron scattering, heat capacity and magnetic measurements at very low temperatures demonstrates the long-range magnetic ordering of Ni(pyrazine)[Pt(CN)4] below 1.9 K, describing its antiferromagnetic spin arrangement. This compound belongs to the family of porous coordination polymers M(pyrazine)[Pt(CN)4] (M = divalent metal), renowned for showing interesting combinations of porosity and magnetic properties. The possibility of including long-range magnetic ordering, one of the most pursued functional properties, opens new perspectives for the multifunctionality of this class of compounds.

Observation of the influence of dipolar and spin frustration effects on the magnetocaloric properties of a trigonal prismatic {Gd7} molecular nanomagnet.

We report the synthesis and structure of a molecular {Gd7} cage of the formula (iPr2NH2)6[Gd7(µ3-OH)3(CO3)6(O2C t Bu)12] which has crystallographic C3h symmetry. Low temperature specific heat and adiabatic demagnetization experiments (the latter achieving temperatures below 100 mK), lead to the observation of the effects of both intramolecular dipolar interactions and geometric spin frustration. The dipolar interaction leads to a massive rearrangement of energy levels such that specific heat and entropy below 2 K are strongly modified while magnetic susceptibility and magnetization above 2 K are not affected. The consequences of these phenomena for low temperature magnetocaloric applications are discussed.

Quantum signatures of a molecular nanomagnet in direct magnetocaloric measurements.

Geometric spin frustration in low-dimensional materials, such as the two-dimensional kagome or triangular antiferromagnetic nets, can significantly enhance the change of the magnetic entropy and adiabatic temperature following a change in the applied magnetic field, that is, the magnetocaloric effect. In principle, an equivalent outcome should also be observable in certain high-symmetry zero-dimensional, that is, molecular, structures with frustrated topologies. Here we report experimental realization of this in a heptametallic gadolinium molecule. Adiabatic demagnetization experiments reach ~200 mK, the first sub-Kelvin cooling with any molecular nanomagnet, and reveal isentropes (the constant entropy paths followed in the temperature-field plane) with a rich structure. The latter is shown to be a direct manifestation of the trigonal antiferromagnetic net structure, allowing study of frustration-enhanced magnetocaloric effects in a finite system.

A dense metal-organic framework for enhanced magnetic refrigeration.

The three-dimensional metal-organic framework Gd(HCOO)3 is characterized by a relatively compact crystal lattice of weakly interacting Gd(3+) spin centers interconnected via lightweight formate ligands, overall providing a remarkably large magnetic:non-magnetic elemental weight ratio. The resulting magnetocaloric effect per unit volume is decidedly superior in Gd(HCOO)3 than in the best known magnetic refrigerant materials for liquid-helium temperatures and low-moderate applied fields.

Two-step thermal spin transition and LIESST relaxation of the polymeric spin-crossover compounds Fe(X-py)2[Ag(CN)2]2 (X=H, 3-methyl, 4-methyl, 3,4-dimethyl, 3-Cl).

In the series of polymeric spin-crossover compounds Fe(X-py)(2)[Ag(CN)(2))](2) (py=pyridine, X=H, 3-Cl, 3-methyl, 4-methyl, 3,4-dimethyl), magnetic and calorimetric measurements have revealed that the conversion from the high-spin (HS) to the low-spin (LS) state occurs by two-step transitions for three out of five members of the family (X=H, 4-methyl, and X=3,4-dimethyl). The two other compounds (X=3-Cl and 3-methyl) show respectively an incomplete spin transition and no transition at all, the latter remaining in the HS state in the whole temperature range. The spin-crossover behaviour of the compound undergoing two-step transitions is well described by a thermodynamic model that considers both steps. Calculations with this model show low cooperativity in this type of systems. Reflectivity and photomagnetic experiments reveal that all of the compounds except that with X=3-methyl undergo light-induced excited spin state trapping (LIESST) at low temperatures. Isothermal HS-to-LS relaxation curves at different temperatures support the low-cooperativity character by following an exponential decay law, although in the thermally activated regime and for aX=H and X=3,4-dimethyl the behaviour is well described by a double exponential function in accordance with the two-step thermal spin transition. The thermodynamic parameters determined from this isothermal analysis were used for simulation of thermal relaxation curves, which nicely reproduce the experimental data.

Spontaneous magnetization in Ni-Al and Ni-Fe layered double hydroxides.

Layered double hydroxides containing paramagnetic Ni (II) and diamagnetic/paramagnetic Al (III)/Fe (III) ions have been prepared and characterized. Ni 2Al(OH) 6(NO 3). nH 2O ( 1), Ni 2Fe(OH) 6(NO 3). nH 2O ( 2), Ni 2Fe(OH) 6(C 6H 8O 4) 0.5. nH 2O ( 3), and Ni 2Fe(OH) 6(C 10H 16O 4) 0.5. nH 2O ( 4) were prepared by coprecipitation at controlled pH as polycrystalline materials with the typical brucite-like structure, with alternating layers of hydroxide and the corresponding anions, which determine the interlayer separation. Magnetic studies show the appearance of spontaneous magnetization between 2 and 15 K for these compounds. Interestingly, the onset temperature for spontaneous magnetization follows a direct relationship with interlayer separation, since this is the only magnetic difference between compounds 2, 3, and 4. Magnetic and calorimetric data indicate that long-range magnetic ordering is not occurring in any of these materials, but rather a freezing of the magnetic system in 3D due to the magnetic disorder and competing intra- and interlayer interactions. Thus, these hydrotalcite-like magnetic materials can be regarded as spin glasses.

A two-step spin transition with a disordered intermediate state in a new two-dimensional coordination polymer.

The two-dimensional (2D) polymeric spin crossover (SCO) compound Fe(py)2[Ag(CN)2]2 has been synthesized. The compound shows a two-step spin transition detected by magnetic, heat capacity, and X-ray diffraction measurements. The magnetic moment shows a high-temperature step (step 1) occurring at 146.3 K without hysteresis, while the low-temperature step (step 2) happens at 84 K on cooling and 98.2 K on heating. These measurements reveal a large amount of residual high spin (HS) species (23%) and that HS state trapping occurs at cooling rates of around 1 K min(-1) or higher. The two-step behavior has been confirmed by heat capacity, which gives, for steps 1 and 2, respectively, DeltaH1 = 3.33 kJ mol(-1), DeltaS1 = 22.6 J mol(-1) K(-1), and DeltaH2 = 1.51 kJ mol(-1), DeltaS2 = 15.7 J mol(-1) K(-1). For step 2 a hysteresis of 10 K has been determined with dynamic measurements. Powder X-ray diffraction at room temperature shows that the compound is isostructural to Cd(py)2[Ag(CN)2]2 previously reported. Powder X-ray diffraction indicates that there is only one crystallographic site for iron(II) in the whole temperature range, confirmed by Mössbauer spectroscopy. The X-ray diffraction study at different temperatures do not show any superstructure in the region between the transitions, discarding a crystallographic phase transition as the origin of the two-step behavior. However, an unexpected increase of the thermal factor is detected on lowering the temperature and considered as a manifestation of a disordered state between the two steps, consisting of a mixing of HS and LS species without long-range order.

The phases of [(CH3)4N](ClO4) at low temperature.

The low-temperature crystal structures of tetramethylammonium perchlorate, [(CH(3))(4)N](ClO(4)), are analysed. At 210 K, a collection of 376 unique reflections on a single crystal gave R = 0.0567 for space group P4/nmm, with a(1) = 8.2376 (14), c(1) = 5.8256 (12) A and Z = 2, where the ClO(4) groups are disordered over four orientations. Below T(c) = 170 K, these groups order in four sublattices, each ion gradually choosing one unique orientation. At 150 K, the crystal is microtwinned. 1389 unique reflections were refined in the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2, with a(3) = 11.714 (3), b(3) = 11.784 (3), c(3) = 5.8265 (9) A, Z = 4 and R = 0.087. At 30 K, Rietveld refinement gave the same structure as is found at 150 K, with a clear difference between a(3) and b(3) [a(3) = 11.566 (2), b(3) = 11.806 (2) and c(3) = 5.729 (1) A]. The structural models and the phase transition are explained on the basis of electrostatic octopole-octopole interactions among the ClO(4) groups within layers perpendicular to the c axis. The order parameters of the low-temperature phase are discussed in relation to the structural results.