Electric-field-induced charge-transfer phase transition: a promising approach toward electrically switchable devices

Tarik Mahfoud (1, 2, 3) , Gabor Molnar (3) , Sébastien Bonhommeau (3) , Saioa Cobo (3) , Lionel Salmon (3) , Philippe Demont (4) , Hiroko Tokoro (5) , Shin-Ichi Ohkoshi (5) , Kamel Boukheddaden (6) , Azzedine Bousseksou (3)

1 Institute for Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology - INANOTECH (MOROCCO)
2 UH2MC - Université Hassan II [Casablanca]
3 LCC - Laboratoire de chimie de coordination
4 CIRIMAT - Centre interuniversitaire de recherche et d'ingenierie des matériaux
5 University of Tokyo [Kashiwa Campus]
6 GEMAC - Groupe d'Etude de la Matière Condensée

Much research has been directed toward the development of electrically switchable optical materials for applications in memory and display devices. Here we present experimental evidence for an electric-field-induced charge-transfer phase transition in two cyanometalate complexes: Rb₀․₈Mn-[Fe(CN)₆]₀․₉₃•1.62H₂O and Co₃[W(CN)₈]₂(pyrimidine)₄•6H₂O, involving changes in their magnetic, optical, and electronic properties as well. Application of an electric field above a threshold value and within the thermal hysteresis region leads to a transition from the high- to the low-temperature phase in these compounds. A model is proposed to explain the main observations on the basis of a para-ferroelectric transition. Our observations suggest that this new concept of electrical switching, based on materials exhibiting charge-transfer phase transitions with large thermal hysteresis loops, may open up doors for novel electro-optical devices.

Mots clés: Switchable optical materials; Cyanometalate complexes; Para-ferroelectric

Domaines: Matériaux; Mécanique des matériaux [physics.class-ph]; Micro et nanotechnologies/Microélectronique

Tarik Mahfoud, Gabor Molnar, Sébastien Bonhommeau, Saioa Cobo, Lionel Salmon, et al.. Electric-field-induced charge-transfer phase transition: a promising approach toward electrically switchable devices. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2009, 131 (41), pp.15049-15054. ⟨10.1021/ja9055855⟩. ⟨hal-03474822⟩