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Depto. de Química Inorgánica, Fac. de Ciencias Químicas, TRUE, pub

Synthetic procedures, experimental details of physical measurements, IR spectra and MS diagrams of all complexes, details, tables and figures of SCXRD molecular structures, and detailed emission spectra and analysis

UV–vis characterization of OHRhMOP alkyl functionalization with diz in solution; GIXD characterization during MOP film formation; schematic representation of MOP LS film deposition; UV–vis and AFM characterization of MOP films deposited onto quartz substrates; Rh-MOP mass deposited onto QCM disks; BAM images obtained during OHRhMOP + diz film formation; UV–vis and AFM characterization of the post-synthetic modification of MOP films; parameters used to simulate the Rh 3d high-resolution XPS spectra of MOP films; and comparison of the performance of MOP and PIM ultrathin films in CO2/N2 separation.

The formation of ultrathin films of Rh-based porous metal–organic polyhedra (Rh-MOPs) by the Langmuir–Blodgett method has been explored. Homogeneous and dense monolayer films were formed at the air–water interface either using two different coordinatively alkyl-functionalized Rh-MOPs (HRhMOP(diz)12 and HRhMOP(oiz)12) or by in situ incorporation of aliphatic chains to the axial sites of dirhodium paddlewheels of another Rh-MOP (OHRhMOP) at the air–liquid interface. All these Rh-MOP monolayers were successively deposited onto different substrates in order to obtain multilayer films with controllable thicknesses. Aliphatic chains were partially removed from HRhMOP(diz)12 films post-synthetically by a simple acid treatment, resulting in a relevant modification of the film hydrophobicity. Moreover, the CO2/N2 separation performance of Rh-MOP-supported membranes was also evaluated, proving that they can be used as selective layers for efficient CO2 separation.

The slow magnetic relaxation of CoII ions in the elusive intermediate geometry between the trigonal prism and antiprism has been studied on the new [Co2L3]4+ and [CoZnL3]4+ coordination helicates [L is a bis(pyrazolylpyridine) ligand]. Solution paramagnetic 1H NMR and solid-state magnetization measurements unveil single-molecule-magnet behavior with small axial anisotropy, as predicted previously.

Single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) transformations of molecular materials involving exchange of lattice molecules are becoming commonplace and very relevant in areas like chemical sensing or the pharmaceutical sector. Spin crossover (SCO) complexes could be great candidates to act as molecular chemical sensors using spin switching to signal detection. We describe here the capacity of the Fe(II) molecular material [Fe(bpp)(H2L)](ClO4)2·C3H6O (bpp and H2L are 2,6-bis-(pyrazol-3-yl)-pyridine type ligands) to have its lattice acetone molecules replaced by certain selected alcohols from the gas phase (MeOH, EtOH or nPrOH but not iPrOH), signalling the process by a spin transition that also changes the colour of the crystals. The magnetic response of the signalling complex depends on the chain length of the alcohol, allowing selective detection. As these molecular exchanges are SCSC processes, the structures of the alcoholates obtained have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD). The removal of n-propanol from its host lattice has been quenched in operando at various intermediate stages and studied by SCXRD to unveil crucial details of the mechanism of this SCSC transformation.

The spin crossover (SCO) phenomenon represents a source of multistability at the molecular level, and dilution into a nonactive host was originally key to understand its cooperative nature and the parameters governing it in the solid state. Here, we devise a molecular alloying approach in which all components are SCO-active, but with significantly different characteristic temperatures. Thus, the molecular material [Fe(Mebpp)2](ClO4)2 (2) has been doped with increasing amounts of the ligand Me2bpp (Mebpp and Me2bpp = methyl- and bis-methyl-substituted bis-pyrazolylpyridine ligands), yielding molecular alloys with the formula [Fe(Mebpp)2–2x(Me2bpp)2x](ClO4)2 (4x; 0.05 < x < 0.5). The effect of the composition on the SCO process is studied through single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), magnetometry, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). While the attenuation of intermolecular interactions is shown to have a strong effect on the SCO cooperativity, the spin conversion was found to occur at intermediate temperatures and in one sole step for all components of the alloys, thus unveiling an unprecedented allosteric SCO process. This effect provides in turn a means of tuning the SCO temperature within a range of 42 K.

The successful development of modern gas sensing technologies requires high sensitivity and selectivity coupled to cost effectiveness, which implies the necessity to miniaturize devices while reducing the amount of sensing material. The appealing alternative of integrating nanoparticles of a porous metal–organic framework (MOF) onto capacitive sensors based on interdigitated electrode (IDE) chips is presented. We report the deposition of MIL-96(Al) MOF thin films via the Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) method on the IDE chips, which allowed the study of their gas/vapor sensing properties. First, sorption studies of several organic vapors like methanol, toluene, chloroform, etc. were conducted on bulk MOF. The sorption data revealed that MIL-96(Al) presents high affinity toward water and methanol. Later on, ordered LB monolayer films of MIL-96(Al) particles of ∼200 nm were successfully deposited onto IDE chips with homogeneous coverage of the surface in comparison to conventional thin film fabrication techniques such as drop-casting. The sensing tests showed that MOF LB films were selective for water and methanol, and short response/recovery times were achieved. Finally, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of a porous thin film of Parylene C (thickness ∼250–300 nm) was performed on top of the MOF LB films to fabricate a thin selective layer. The sensing results showed an increase in the water selectivity and sensitivity, while those of methanol showed a huge decrease. These results prove the feasibility of the LB technique for the fabrication of ordered MOF thin films onto IDE chips using very small MOF quantities.

The increase in demand and popularity of smart textiles brings new and innovative ideas to develop a diverse range of textile-based devices for our daily life applications. Smart textile-based sensors (TEX sensors) become attractive due to the potential to replace current solid-state sensor devices with flexible and wearable devices. We have developed a smart textile sensor for humidity detection using a metal–organic framework (MOF) as an active thin-film layer. We show for the first time the use of the Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) technique for the deposition of a MIL-96(Al) MOF thin film directly onto the fabrics containing interdigitated textile electrodes for the fabrication of a highly selective humidity sensor. The humidity sensors were made from two different types of textiles, namely, linen and cotton, with the linen-based sensor giving the best response due to better coverage of MOF. The TEX sensor showed a reproducible response after multiple cycles of measurements. After 3 weeks of storage, the sensor showed a moderate decrease in response. Moreover, TEX sensors showed a high level of selectivity for the detection of water vapors in the presence of several volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Interestingly, the selectivity is superior to some of the previously reported MOF-coated solid-state interdigitated electrode devices and textile sensors. The method herein described is generic and can be extended to other textiles and coating materials for the detection of toxic gases and vapors.

The development of photoactivatable metal complexes with potential anticancer properties is a topical area of current investigation. Photoactivated chemotherapy using coordination compounds is typically based on photochemical processes occurring at the metal center. In the present study, an innovative approach is applied that takes advantage of the remarkable photochemical properties of diarylethenes. Following a proof-of-concept study with two complexes, namely, C1 and C2, a series of additional platinum(II) complexes from dithienylcyclopentene-based ligands was designed and prepared. Like C1 and C2, these new coordination compounds exhibit two thermally stable, interconvertible photoisomers that display distinct properties. The photochemical behavior of ligands L3-L7 has been analyzed by 1H NMR and UV-vis spectroscopies. Subsequently, the corresponding platinum(II) complexes C3-C7 were synthesized and fully characterized, including by single-crystal X-ray diffraction for some of them. Next, the interaction of each photoisomer (i.e., containing the open or closed ligand) of the metal complexes with DNA was examined thoroughly using various techniques, revealing their distinct DNA-binding modes and affinities, as observed for the earlier compounds C1 and C2. The antiproliferative activity of the two forms of the complexes was then assessed with five cancer cell lines and compared with that of C1 and C2, which supported the use of such diarylethene-based systems for the generation of a new class of potential photochemotherapeutic metallodrugs.

The preparation of heterometallic, lanthanide-only complexes is an extremely difficult synthetic challenge. By a ligand-based strategy, a complete isostructural series of dinuclear heterometallic [LnPr] complexes has been synthesized and structurally characterized. The two different coordination sites featured in this molecular entity allow study of the preferences of the praseodymium ion for a specific position depending on the ionic radii of the accompanying lanthanide partner. The purity of each heterometallic moiety has been evaluated in the solid state and in solution by means of crystallographic and spectrometric methods, respectively, revealing the limits of this strategy for ions with similar sizes. DFT calculations have been carried out to support the experimental results, confirming the nature of the site-selective lanthanide distribution. The predictable selectivity of this system has been exploited to assess the magnetic properties of the [DyPr] and [LuPr] derivatives, showing that the origin of the slow dynamics observed in the former arises from the dysprosium ion.

One of the benefits found in crystal engineering to build molecular materials is the possibility of understanding and thus finely controlling their photochromic performance in the solid state. We have discovered potential hints in this direction through the use of the photochromic ligand 1,2-bis(5-carboxy-2-methylthien-3-yl)cyclopentene, HL, in reactions with either of two different Cu(II) salts for the formation of two new solvatomorphs of a coordination polymer, [Cu(L)(py)]·2py (1a) and [Cu(L)(py)]·2HO·0.5EtO (1b). HL is a diarylethene ligand that exhibits reversible photocyclization, allowing to reversibly modify the molecular structure and properties of coordination compounds incorporating such moiety. While the backbone of both compounds is the same, their supramolecular organization significantly differs, leading to different photochromic properties, in particular regarding the reversibility of their photoswitching processes. These remarkable structure/property relations have been assessed by optical reflectivity and Raman measurements, in light of the respective crystallographic structures.

We show a marked tendency of Fe(II) to form heteroleptic [Fe(L)(L′)](ClO) complexes from pairs of chelating tris-imine 3bpp, tpy, or 2bbp ligands. New synthetic avenues for spin crossover research become thus available, here illustrated with three new heteroleptic compounds with differing magnetic behaviors: [Fe(HL1)(Cl-tpy)](ClO)·CHO (1), [Fe(HL3)(Me3bpp)](ClO)·CHO (2), [Fe(HL1)(2bbp)](ClO)·3CHO (3). Structural studies demonstrate that 1 is in the low-spin (LS) state up to 350 K, while complexes 2 and 3 are, by contrast, in the high-spin (HS) state down to 2 K, as corroborated through magnetic susceptibility measurements. Upon exposure to the atmosphere, the latter exhibits the release of three molecules of acetone per complex, turning into the solvent-free analogue [Fe(HL1)(2bbp)](ClO) (3a), through a single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformation. This guest extrusion process is accompanied by a spin switch, from HS to LS.

High-field electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy shows that the structurally distorted MnIII ion in Na5[Mn(l-tart)2]·12H2O (1; l-tart = l-tartrate) has a significant negative axial zero-field splitting and a small rhombic anisotropy (∼1% of D). Alternating-current magnetic susceptibility measurements demonstrate that 1, which contains isolated MnIII centers, displays slow relaxation of its magnetization under an applied direct-current magnetic field.

One current challenge of magnetic hyperthermia is achieving therapeutic effects with a minimal amount of nanoparticles, for which improved heating abilities are continuously pursued. However, it is demonstrated here that the performance of magnetite nanocubes in a colloidal solution is reduced by 84% when they are densely packed in three-dimensional arrangements similar to those found in cell vesicles after nanoparticle internalization. This result highlights the essential role played by the nanoparticle arrangement in heating performance, uncontrolled in applications. A strategy based on the elaboration of nano-objects able to confine nanocubes in a fixed arrangement is thus considered here to improve the level of control. The obtained specific absorption rate results show that nanoworms and nanospheres with fixed one- and two-dimensional nanocube arrangements, respectively, succeed in reducing the loss of heating power upon agglomeration, suggesting a change in the kind of nano-object to be used in magnetic hyperthermia.

The photoswitching from the low spin (LS) to high spin (HS) state and the reverse process in the bistability domain of spin crossover (SCO) compounds is a promising function to be used in molecular electronic devices, and evidenced mainly through spectroscopy. The phenomenon, and in particular its mechanism, is however still under debate since some controversial experimental results have been reported. Here we present a calorimetric experimental study of the photoswitching of the [Fe(pyrazine)Pt(CN)4] SCO material by a nanosecond-pulsed green laser. Our results confirm that the single laser pulse of varying energies results in significant LS to HS transformations and show that calorimetry provides an accurate quantification of the overall conversion. Successive pulses allow increasing the conversion, achieving a maximum of 60% under our experimental conditions. The HS to LS transformation is on the other hand not induced at any laser fluences contrary to previous reports. The results are compared with those reported with Raman spectroscopy and critically discussed in terms of efficiency of the transformation and potential thermal effects.

A major challenge for realizing quantum computation is finding suitable systems to embody quantum bits (qubits) and quantum gates (qugates) in a robust and scalable architecture. An emerging bottom-up approach uses the electronic spins of lanthanides. Universal qugates may then be engineered by arranging in a molecule two interacting and different lanthanide ions. Preparing heterometallic lanthanide species is, however, extremely challenging. We have discovered a method to obtain [LnLn'] complexes with the appropriate requirements. Compound [CeEr] is deemed to represent an ideal situation. Both ions have a doubly degenerate magnetic ground state and can be addressed individually. Their isotopes have mainly zero nuclear spin, which enhances the electronic spin coherence. The analogues [Ce2], [Er2], [CeY], and [LaEr] have also been prepared to assist in showing that [CeEr] meets the qugate requirements, as revealed through magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, and EPR. Molecules could now be used for quantum information processing.

© 2014 American Chemical Society. Coordination of the ligand bapbpy (1, bapbpy = N,N′-di(pyrid-2-yl)-2,2′-bipyridine-6,6′-diamine), of one of its four dimethyl-substituted analogues 2-5 (R2bapbpy = N,N′-di(methylpyrid-2-yl)-2,2′-bipyridine-6,6′-diamine), or of one of its three bis(iso)quinoline analogues 6-8 (R2bapbpy= N,N′-di(quinolyl)-2,2′-bipyridine-6,6′-diamine), to Fe(NCSe)2, afforded eight new iron(II) compounds of the type [Fe(R2bapbpy)(NCSe)2] (9-16). Three of these compounds (11, 13, and 16) were structurally characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, which showed similar molecular geometry and packing compared to their thiocyanate analogues. Magnetic susceptibility measurements were carried out for all iron compounds and revealed thermal spin-crossover (SCO) behavior for compounds 9, 11, 13, 15, and 16. Compounds 11, 13, 15, and 16 show an increased transition temperature compared to the thiocyanate analogues. [Fe(bapbpy)(NCSe)2] (9) shows a gradual, one-step SCO, whereas its thiocyanate analogue [Fe(bapbpy)(NCS)2] is known for its cooperative two-step SCO. To discuss the influence of S-to-Se substitution on the cooperativity of the SCO, heat capacity measurements were carried out for compounds 9, 11, 13, 15, and 16, and fitted to the Sorai domain model. The number n of like-spin SCO centers per interacting domain, which is a quantitative measure of the cooperativity of the spin transition, was found to be high for compounds 11 and 15, and low for compounds 9, 11, and 13. Compound 15 is one of the few known SCO compounds that is more cooperative than its thiocyanate analogue. Altogether, X-ray diffraction, calorimetry, and magnetic data give a consistent structure-property relationship for this family of compounds: hydrogen-bonding networks made of intermolecular N-H⋯Se interactions are of paramount importance for the cooperativity of the SCO.