Spin-State Switching in Dynamic Molecules.

Spin-State Switching in Dynamic Molecules

The development of molecular materials that can be switched between two different spin states through the application of external stimuli is of great interest owing to their potential use in molecular devices and information technology. 

This switching behavior can be triggered by different phenomena such as a charge/proton transfer, a change in the solid-state structure, or molecular orientation. When the cooperativity between spin centres is strong enough, a region of bistability might open, in which either of the two states can be found depending on the material’s immediate past. This memory effect has been widely exploited in transition metal complexes. Some exciting recent discoveries of spin-state switching in the transition metal complexes in presence of external perturbation would be discussed in this presentation.