Structural phase transition-associated dielectric transition and ferroelectricity in coordination compounds

Structural phase transition in solid-state materials is an underlying factor for emergence and evolution of a number of important physical/chemical properties. In this review, we summarize recent achievements on two types of structural phase transition-associated properties, i.e., dielectric transition and ferroelectricity, in coordination compounds. The basic concepts and fundamentals of structural phase transition and the two properties are briefly introduced. This review aims to reveal the role of the structural phase transitions on bulk properties and afford a perspective on the connections among multiple topics of coordination chemistry from the structural phase transition viewpoint. It would be appealing to researchers in multidisciplinary fields such as coordination chemistry, crystal engineering, supramolecular chemistry, condensed matter physics, responsive materials and molecular machines. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.