Guest-selective and reversible magnetic phase switching in a pseudo-pillared-layer porous magnet

A novel porous magnet consisting of cationic two-dimensional (2-D) layers extended by FeIII–CN–NiII linkages and pseudo-pillar dianions was synthesized. The size-selective guest adsorption behaviour of water and methanol molecules originates from the narrow bottle-neck-type pores in the flexible pseudo-pillared-layer structure, which results in the switching of the magnetic phases from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic, involving significant changes in the interlayer distance.