The photo-thermal plasmonic effect in spin crossover@silica-gold nanocomposites

Nanocomposite spin crossover (SCO) materials with gold nanoparticles (NPs) - displaying both electronic bistability and plasmonic properties - were synthesized and plasmon-enhanced photothermal spin state switching was evidenced. Using this effect, we demonstrated a three times reduction of the laser power needed for switching the new SCO@SiO2-gold nanocomposite compared to the pure coordination polymer.