Neutral, closed-shell nickel bis(2-alkylthio-thiazole-4,5-dithiolate) complexes as single component molecular conductors.

Neutral nickel bis(dithiolene) complexes, because of their closed-shell character, are usually considered as insulating materials, unless they are formed out of highly delocalized tetrathiafulvalenedithiolate ligands. We describe here an original series of S-alkyl substituted neutral bis(thiazole-4,5-dithiolate) nickel complexes formulated as [Ni(RS-tzdt)2] (R = Me, Et), which organize in the solid state into uniform stacks and exhibit semiconducting behavior, with room temperature conductivities comparable to those reported in the prototypical [Ni(dmit)2] and [Ni(Et-thiazdt)2] neutral complexes. These findings provide new perspectives in the current search for single component molecular conductors.

Molecular Alloys of Neutral Gold/Nickel Dithiolene Complexes in Single-Component Semiconductors.

Control of band filling or doping of molecular (semi)conductors can be performed by substitutional insertion of molecules with a similar shape but a different electron count, with one more or one less electron. This strategy has been explored here within the semiconducting, single-component, radical gold dithiolene complex [AuOC4] bearing para-butoxyphenyl substituents. Alloying with the corresponding neutral nickel dithiolene complex [NiOC4] lacking one electron afforded a complete isostructural series [NiOC4]1-x[AuOC4]x, spanning the whole composition range from x = 0 to x = 1 by 0.1 increments, further characterized by X-ray diffraction and EDX analyses. Magnetic susceptibility data confirm the antiferromagnetic interactions between neighboring radical gold dithiolene complexes. The electrical conductivity increases exponentially with the x gold fraction, while the activation energy remains constant in the more conducting, gold-rich samples. This behavior is tentatively assigned to the tunneling barriers of variable width (with x) but of constant height, separating more conducting gold-rich segments. Comparison of redox potentials for the 1e(-) oxidation and reduction of both [NiOC4] and [AuOC4] dithiolene complexes indicates that the [NiOC4] nickel complex does not act as a dopant for the radical [AuOC4] complex.

Chiral conducting salts of nickel dithiolene complexes.

Conducting and chiral [Ni(dmit)(2)] dithiolene salts were obtained by electrocrystallization of the radical [n-Bu(4)N][Ni(dmit)(2)] salt in the presence of chiral, enantiopure trimethylammonium cations. Three different cations were investigated, namely, (R)-Ph(Me)HC*-NMe(3)(+), (S)-((t)Bu)(Me)HC*-NMe(3)(+), and (S)-(1-Napht)MeHC*-NMe(3)(+), noted (R)-1, (S)-2, and (S)-3. Salts of 1:3 stoichiometry were obtained with (R)-1 and (S)-2, formulated as [(R)-1][Ni(dmit)(2)](3) and [(S)-2][Ni(dmit)(2)](3)·(CH(3)CN)(2). They both crystallize in the P2(1)2(1)2(1) chiral space group, with three crystallographically independent complexes exhibiting different oxidation degrees. Another salt with 2:5 stoichiometry was isolated with (S)-3. The semiconducting character of the three salts (σ(RT) = 20-30 × 10(-3) S cm(-1)) finds its origin in a strong electron localization, favored by the large number of crystallographically independent [Ni(dmit)(2)] complexes in these chiral structures and their association into weakly interacting dimeric or trimeric motifs. Racemic salts with the same cations, obtained only with difficulties with the tert-butyl-containing (rac)-2 cation, afforded similar trimerized structures. The observed unusual stoichiometry and strong charge localization is tentatively assigned to the size and anisotropic charge distribution of the cations.

The 8 : 1 : 1 ternary hybrid framework in the system [EDT-TTF +][1,4-bis(iodoethynyl)benzene][Re6Se8(CN)6]4-: dual noncovalent expression of the octahedral halogen-bond hexa-acceptor nanonode.

Complementary shapes of the neutral symmetrical halogen-bond bis-donor core and octahedral inorganic cluster core prevent halogen-bonded polymers developing in more than one direction, favouring further templating by conducting radical cation slabs and yielding an 8 : 1 : 1 phase formulation instead of n : 2 : 1, with a 2D net, or m : 3 : 1, with a pseudo-cubic architecture, which may in principle also be targeted.