The Organic Ammonium Counterion Effect on Slow Magnetic Relaxation of the [Er(hfac)₄]⁻ Complexes

The first mononuclear anionic erbium complex [Er(hfac)4]− (hfac = hexafluoroacetylacetone) with an organic ammonium cation [(CH3)4N+] as the counterion was synthesized and structurally and magnetically characterized. The coordination geometries around the Er ions are square antiprisms with pseudo-D4d symmetry. The complex shows distinct field-induced slow magnetization relaxation, which is described by a combination of Orbach (Ueff/kB~28.54(8) K.) and direct mechanisms. Quantum chemical calculations were performed to analyze the magnetic properties of the complex under consideration

Direct Nanoscale Visualization of the Electric-Field-Induced Aging Dynamics of MAPbI₃ Thin Films

Perovskite solar cells represent the most attractive emerging photovoltaic technology, but their practical implementation is limited by solar cell devices’ low levels of operational stability. The electric field represents one of the key stress factors leading to the fast degradation of perovskite solar cells. To mitigate this issue, one must gain a deep mechanistic understanding of the perovskite aging pathways associated with the action of the electric field. Since degradation processes are spatially heterogeneous, the behaviors of perovskite films under an applied electric field should be visualized with nanoscale resolution. Herein, we report a direct nanoscale visualization of methylammonium (MA+) cation dynamics in methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) films during field-induced degradation, using infrared scattering-type scanning near-field microscopy (IR s-SNOM). The obtained data reveal that the major aging pathways are related to the anodic oxidation of I− and the cathodic reduction of MA+, which finally result in the depletion of organic species in the channel of the device and the formation of Pb. This conclusion was supported by a set of complementary techniques such as time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), photoluminescence (PL) microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) microanalysis. The obtained results demonstrate that IR s-SNOM represents a powerful technique for studying the spatially resolved field-induced degradation dynamics of hybrid perovskite absorbers and the identification of more promising materials resistant to the electric field

Effect of Ligand Substitution on Zero-Field Slow Magnetic Relaxation in Mononuclear Dy(III) β-Diketonate Complexes with Phenanthroline-Based Ligands

Herein, we report the synthesis, structure and magnetic properties of two mononuclear complexes of general formula [Dy(acac)3(L)], where L = 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolo[4,5-f][1,10] phenanthroline (1) or 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione (2), and acac− = acetylacetonate anion. A distorted square-antiprismatic N2O6 environment around the central Dy(III) ion is formed by three acetylacetonate anions and a phenanthroline-type ligand. Both complexes display a single-molecule magnet (SMM) behavior at zero applied magnetic field. Modification of the peripheral part of ligands L provide substantial effects both on the magnetic relaxation barrier Ueff and on the quantum tunneling of magnetization (QTM). Ab initio quantum-chemical calculations are used to analyze the electronic structure and magnetic properties

Zero-Field Slow Magnetic Relaxation in Binuclear Dy Acetylacetonate Complex with Pyridine-N-Oxide

A new complex [Dy(C5H7O2)3(C5H5NO)]2·2CHCl3 (1) has been synthesized by the reaction of pyridine-N-oxide with dysprosium (III) acetylacetonate in an n-heptane/chloroform mixture (1/20). X-ray data show that each dysprosium atom is chelate-like coordinated by three acetylacetonate ligands and the oxygen atom from two bridging molecules of pyridine-N-oxide, which unite the dysprosium atoms into a binuclear complex. Static (constant current) and dynamic (alternating current) investigations and ab initio calculations of the magnetic properties of complex 1 were performed. The complex was shown to exhibit a frequency maximum under alternating current. At temperatures above 10 K, the maximum shifts to a higher frequency, which is characteristic of SMM behavior. It is established that the dependence of ln(τ) on 1/T for the relaxation process is nonlinear, which indicates the presence of Raman relaxation mechanisms, along with the Orbach mechanism