Light‐Induced Excited Spin State Trapping in an Exchange‐Coupled Nitroxide‐Copper(II)‐Nitroxide Cluster

Abstract

Beyond the classics: An exchange-coupled three-spin cluster of copper(II) with nitroxides can be converted by light from a strongly to a weakly coupled spin state (see picture), the latter being metastable at low temperatures. This kind of magnetic photoswitching is very similar to the LIESST effect in spin-crossover complexes of iron. Such compounds form a new class of systems capable of optical switching of their magnetic properties.