A Chemically Triggered and Thermally Switched Dielectric Constant Transition in a Metal Cyanide Based Crystal

Chao Shi, Xi Zhang, Ying Cai, Ye Feng Yao, Wen Zhang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

105 Scopus citations

Abstract

A dielectric constant transition is chemically triggered and thermally switched in (HPy)2[Na(H2O)Co(CN)6] (2, HPy=pyridinium cation) by single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformation and structural phase transition, respectively. Upon dehydration, (HPy)2[Na(H2O)2Co(CN)6] (1) transforms to its semi-hydrated form 2, accompanying a transition from a low-dielectric state to a high-dielectric state, and vice versa. This dielectric switch is also realized by a structural phase transition in 2 that occurs between room- and lowerature phases, and which corresponds to high- and low-dielectric states, respectively. The switching property is due to the variation in the environment surrounding the HPy cation, that is, the hydrogen-bonding interactions and the crystal packing, which exert predominant influences on the dynamics of the cations that transit between the static and motional states.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6206-6210
Number of pages5
JournalAngewandte Chemie - International Edition
Volume54
Issue number21
DOIs
StatePublished - 18 May 2015

Keywords

  • cyanide
  • phase transitions
  • pyridinium
  • single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformations
  • switchable dielectric constant

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