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In this work, we report solvent-induced complexation properties of a new N2S2 tetradentate bis-thiosemicarbazone ligand (H2LI), prepared by the condensation of 4-phenylthiosemicarbazide with bis-aldehyde, namely 2,2’-(ethane-1,2-diylbis(oxy)dibenzaldehyde, towards nickel(II). Using ethanol as a reaction medium allowed the isolation of a discrete mononuclear homoleptic complex [NiLI ] (1), for which its crystal structure contains three independent molecules, namely 1-I, 1-II, and 1-III, in the asymmetric unit. The doubly deprotonated ligand LI in the structure of 1 is coordinated in a cis-manner through the azomethine nitrogen atoms and the thiocarbonyl sulfur atoms. The coordination geometry around metal centers in all the three crystallographically independent molecules of 1 is best described as the seesaw structure. Interestingly, using methanol as a reaction medium in the same synthesis allowed for the isolation of a discrete mononuclear homoleptic complex [Ni(LII)2 ] (2), where LII is a monodeprotonated ligand 2-(2-(2-(2-(dimethoxymethyl)phenoxy)ethoxy)benzylidene)-N-phenylhydrazine-1-carbothioamide (HLII). The ligand LII was formed in situ from the reaction of LI with methanol upon coordination to the metal center under synthetic conditions. In the structure of 2, two ligands LII are coordinated in a trans-manner through the azomethine nitrogen atom and the thiocarbonyl sulfur atom, also yielding a seesaw coordination geometry around the metal center. The charge and energy decomposition scheme ETS-NOCV allows for the conclusion that both structures are stabilized by a bunch of London dispersion-driven intermolecular interactions, including predominantly N–H···S and N–H···O hydrogen bonds in 1 and 2, respectively; they are further augmented by less typical C–H···X (where X = S, N, O, π), CH···HC, π···π stacking and the most striking, attractive long-range intermolecular C–H···Ni preagostic interactions. The latter are found to be determined by both stabilizing C

Evolution of the crystal structure of ceramics BiFeO3-BaTiO3 across the morphotropic phase boundary was analyzed using the results of macroscopic measuring techniques such as X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and differential thermal analysis, as well as the data obtained by local scale methods of scanning probe microscopy. The obtained results allowed to specify the concentration and temperature regions of the single phase and phase coexistent regions as well as to clarify a modification of the structural parameters across the rhombohedral-cubic phase boundary. The structural data show unexpected strengthening of structural distortion specific for the rhombohedral phase, which occurs upon dopant concentration and temperature-driven phase transitions to the cubic phase. The obtained results point to the non-monotonous character of the phase evolution, which is specific for metastable phases. The compounds with metastable structural state are characterized by enhanced sensitivity to external stimuli, which significantly expands the perspectives of their particular use. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.