Unidirectional electric field-induced spin-state switching in spin crossover based microelectronic devices

We report on a molecular spin-state switching phenomenon induced by an electric field in micrometric objects of the [Fe(Htrz)(2)(trz)](BF4) spin crossover complex, organized between interdigitated electrodes. By applying an electric field step of 40 kV/cm at temperatures within the thermal hysteresis region of the first-order spin transition, the iron(II) ions are switched from the metastable high spin to the stable low spin state obtaining a rather incomplete transition but perfectly reversible by heating. A model based on the interaction between the electric field and the electric dipolar moment of spin crossover complexes, grasps the main features of the experimental data.(C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.