Polarized Raman, infrared and dielectric spectra of lead-free K0.5Na0.5NbO3piezoelectric system: insights fromab-initiotheoretical and experimental studies.

The K0.5Na0.5NbO3(KNN) system has emerged as one of the most promising lead-free piezoelectric over the years. In this work, we perform a comprehensive investigation of electronic structure, lattice dynamics and dielectric properties of room temperature phase of KNN by combiningab-initioDFT based theoretical analysis and experimental characterization. We assign the symmetry labels to KNN vibrational modes and obtainab-initiopolarized Raman spectra, Infrared reflectivity, Born-effective charge tensors, oscillator strengths etc. The KNN ceramic samples are prepared using conventional solid-state method and Raman and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra are obtained. The computed Raman spectrum is found to agree well with the experimental spectrum. In particular, the results suggest that the mode in range ∼840-870 cm-1reported in the experimental studies is longitudinal optical withA1symmetry. The Raman mode intensities are calculated for different light polarization set-ups that suggests the observation of different symmetry modes in different polarization set-ups. The electronic structure of KNN is investigated and optical absorption spectrum is obtained. Further, the performances of DFT semi-local, meta-GGA and hybrid exchange-correlations functionals, in the estimation of KNN band gaps are investigated. The KNN bandgap computed using GGA-1/2 and HSE06 hybrid functional schemes are found to be in excellent agreement with the experimental value. The COHP, electron localization function and Bader charge analysis is also performed to deduce the nature of chemical bonding in the KNN. Overall, our study provides several bench-mark important results on KNN that have not been reported so far.

Multifunctional Nd3+ substituted Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 as lead-free ceramics with enhanced luminescence, ferroelectric and energy harvesting properties.

Herein, we present comprehensive investigations of the optical and electrical properties of Nd3+ substitution in sodium bismuth titanate ceramics (NBNT) with varying Nd3+ concentration. The room temperature photoluminescence (PL) emission for both unpoled and poled samples is observed to be a maximum for an Nd3+ substitution of 1 mol%. Upon poling, the PL intensity is observed to be quenched, consistent with the obtained XRD data, indicating an electric-field induced structural ordering towards higher symmetry, confirmed with the help of structural refinement. The evaluated ferroelectric to relaxor and antiferroelectric relaxor T (F-R) was observed clearly from the poled dielectric-loss curve for the 1 mol% of Nd3+ substitution. Furthermore, the optimized NBNT exhibited a lower E c and a higher off-resonance figure of merit (FOMoff) for energy harvesting by 12% and 30%, respectively, in comparison with un-doped NBT.

Photomagnetism of a sym-cis-dithiocyanato iron(II) complex with a tetradentate N,N'-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)1,2-ethanediamine ligand.

A comprehensive study of the magnetic and photomagnetic behaviors of cis-[Fe(picen)(NCS)(2) ] (picen = N,N'-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)1,2-ethanediamine) was carried out. The spin-equilibration was extremely slow in the vicinity of the thermal spin-transition. When the cooling speed was slower than 0.1 K min(-1), this complex was characterized by an abrupt thermal spin-transition at about 70 K. Measurement of the kinetics in the range 60-70 K was performed to approach the quasi-static hysteresis loop. At low temperatures, the metastable HS state was quenched by a rapid freezing process and the critical T(TIESST) temperature, which was associated with the thermally induced excited spin-state-trapping (TIESST) effect, was measured. At 10 K, this complex also exhibited the well-known light-induced excited spin-state-trapping (LIESST) effect and the T(LIESST) temperature was determined. The kinetics of the metastable HS states, which were generated from the freezing effect and from the light-induced excitation, was studied. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction as a function of speed-cooling and light conditions at 30 K revealed the mechanism of the spin-crossover in this complex as well as some direct relationships between its structural properties and its spin state. This spin-crossover (SCO) material represents a fascinating example in which the metastability of the HS state is in close vicinity to the thermal spin-transition region. Moreover, it is a beautiful example of a complex in which the metastable HS states can be generated, and then compared, either by the freezing effect or by the LIESST effect.

Cyanocarbanion-based spin-crossover materials: photocrystallographic and photomagnetic studies of a new iron(II) neutral chain.

A new iron(II) chain of formula [Fe(abpt)(2)(tcpd)] [1; (tcpd)(2-) = [C(10)N(6)](2-) = (C[C(CN)(2)](3))(2-) = 2-dicyanomethylene-1,1,3,3-tetracyanopropanediide anion, abpt = 4-amino-3,5-bis(pyridin-2-yl)-1,2,4-triazole] has been synthesized and characterized by IR spectroscopy, detailed variable-temperature single-crystal X-ray diffraction, magnetic and photomagnetic measurements. The crystal structure determination of 1 reveals a one-dimensional structural architecture in which the (tcpd)(2-) cyanocarbanion acts as a µ(2)-bridging ligand and the two abpt molecules act as chelating ligands. Detailed X-ray diffraction studies as a function of the temperature (293-10 K) showed a strong modification of the iron coordination sphere, whose characteristics are in agreement with the presence of a spin-crossover transition from high spin (HS) to low spin (LS) in 1. The average Fe-N distances at room temperature, at 10 K following a flash cooling, and at 10 K after subsequent HS-to-LS relaxation are in the range expected for 100%, 50%, and 25% fractions of HS Fe(II), respectively. These observations are consistent with the presence of ca. 25% residual HS species at low temperatures, as derived from the magnetic data. The signature of a photoinduced metastable HS state in 1 has been detected by performing coupled photomagnetic and photocrystallographic analyses. The limiting T(LIESST) value associated with the light-induced excited-spin-state trapping effect was derived as 35 K, in good agreement with the thermal dependence of the unit cell volume upon irradiation. Kinetic studies governing the photoinduced HS/LS process have been recorded at different temperatures; a reverse-LIESST effect has been evidenced at 10 K as a reduction of the residual HS fraction by irradiating the sample at 830 nm.

Structural, thermal and photomagnetic properties of spin crossover [Fe(bpp)2]2+ salts bearing [Cr(L)(ox)2]- anions.

This paper is divided into two parts: in the first part, the influence of solvate molecules on the magnetic properties of spin crossover salts of [Fe(bpp)(2)][Cr(L)(ox)(2)]ClO(4) x nS (bpp = 2,6-bis(pyrazol-3yl)pyridine; L = 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) or 1,10-phenanthroline (phen); ox = oxalate dianion; S = solvent) is analyzed. The second part is devoted to the photomagnetic properties of the previously reported [Fe(bpp)(2)][Cr(L)(ox)(2)](2) family of compounds. The study describes the crystal structure, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and magnetic properties of [Fe(bpp)(2)][Cr(bpy)(ox)(2)]ClO(4) x EtOH x 4 H(2)O (1) and [Fe(bpp)(2)][Cr(phen)(ox)(2)]ClO(4) x 1.5 EtOH x 4 H(2)O (2). Both salts are high-spin (HS) compounds. Desolvation of 1 yields a material exhibiting a gradual spin crossover that involves 50% of the Fe(2+) cations. Rehydration of this desolvated salt induces a significant increase in the low-spin (LS) population. Desolvation of 2 affords a material showing a more abrupt spin crossover with thermal hysteresis (T(1/2)(increasing) = 286 K and T(1/2)(decreasing) = 273 K). This material is not very sensitive to rehydration. The anhydrous compounds [Fe(bpp)(2)][Cr(bpy)(ox)(2)](2) (3) and [Fe(bpp)(2)][Cr(phen)(ox)(2)](2) (4) display some quantitative photomagnetic conversion with T(LIESST) values of 41 and 51 K, respectively. Kinetic parameters governing the photo-induced HS-LS relaxation process have been determined and used to reproduce the T(LIESST) curves.

Thermal and light-induced spin-transitions in iron(II) complexes of 2,6-bis(4-halopyrazolyl)pyridines: the influence of polymorphism on a spin-crossover compound.

The syntheses of 2,6-bis(4-chloropyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (L1), 2,6-bis(4-bromopyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (L2) and 2,6-bis(4-iodopyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (L3) by electrophilic halogenation of 2,6-bis(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine are reported. The complex [Fe(L1)2][BF4]2 crystallises in two different solvent-free polymorphs. The tetragonal (alpha) form crystallises in a known version of the "terpyridine embrace" structure, and undergoes an abrupt spin-transition at 202 K. The orthorhombic (beta) form exhibits a modified form of the same packing motif, containing two unique iron sites in a 2 : 1 ratio. One-third of the complex molecules in that material undergo a very gradual thermal spin-crossover centred at 137 K. Comparison of the two structures implies that spin-crossover cooperativity in the alpha-polymorph is transmitted in two dimensions within the extended lattice. [Fe(L2)2][BF4]2 is isostructural with alpha-[Fe(L1)2][BF4]2 and exhibits a similarly abrupt spin-transition at 253 K. In contrast, [Fe(L3)2][BF4]2 is low-spin as a powder at 360 K and below and can be crystallised as two different solvates from acetone solution. All three compounds exhibit the LIESST effect at 10 K, with photoconversions of 40-100%. Their LIESST relaxation temperatures obey the empirical T(LIESST) = T0- 0.3T(1/2) (T0 = 150 K) law that we have previously proposed for this class of compound.