Highly conducting crystals based on single-component gold complexes with extended-TTF dithiolate ligands

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid-State Chemistry
• Conductive Materials

Background:

• Single-component molecular conductors are crucial for advanced electronic devices.
• Gold complexes with extended tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) dithiolate ligands offer potential for novel conductive properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel single-component gold complexes with extended-TTF dithiolate ligands.
• To investigate the electrical conductivity and magnetic properties of these new gold complexes.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of gold complexes [Au(dmdt)(2)](0+) and [Au(tmdt)(2)](0+).
• Synchrotron radiation powder diffraction for structural analysis.
• Measurement of electrical conductivity of compacted powder samples.
• Magnetic susceptibility measurements to probe electronic behavior.

Main Results:

• The synthesized gold complexes [Au(dmdt)(2)](0+) and [Au(tmdt)(2)](0+) demonstrated high electrical conductivities of 12 and 15 S cm(-1) at room temperature, respectively.
• Complex 1 ([Au(dmdt)(2)](0+)) exhibited Pauli-like susceptibility, indicating metallic behavior above 50 K.
• Complex 2 ([Au(tmdt)(2)](0+)) showed a magnetic transition around 100 K while maintaining high conductivity.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully prepared highly conducting single-component gold complexes.
• These complexes display distinct electronic and magnetic properties, with potential for applications in molecular electronics.
• Complex 2's magnetic transition without conductivity loss highlights its unique conductive characteristics.