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Updated: Jul 30, 2025

Author Spotlight: Magnetometric Characterization of Intermediates in the Solid-State Electrochemistry of Redox-Active Metal-Organic Frameworks
Published on: June 9, 2023
Magnetoelectric effect generated through electron transfer from organic radical to metal ion
Xiaolin Liu1, Qiang Liu2, Haixia Zhao1
1Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces and Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
Abstract:
Magnetoelectric (ME) materials induced by electron transfer are extremely rare. Electron transfer in these materials invariably occurs between the metal ions. In contrast, ME properties induced by electron transfer from an organic radical to a metal ion have never been observed. Here, we report the ME coupling effect in a mononuclear molecule-based compound [(CH3)3NCH2CH2Br][Fe(Cl2An)2(H2O)2] (1) [Cl2An = chloranilate, (CH3)3NCH2CH2Br+ = (2-bromoethyl)trimethylammonium]. Investigation of the mechanism revealed that the ME coupling effect is realized through electron transfer from the Cl2An to the Fe ion. Measurement of the magnetodielectric (MD) coefficient of 1 indicated a positive MD of up to ∼12% at 103.0 Hz and 370 K, which is very different from that of ME materials with conventional electron transfer for which the MD is generally negative. Thus, the current work not only presents a novel ME coupling mechanism, but also opens a new route to the synthesis of ME coupling materials.
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