Near-Room-Temperature Magnetoelectric Coupling via Spin Crossover in an Iron(II) Complex.

Magnetoelectric coupling is achieved near room temperature in a spin crossover Fe molecule-based compound, [Fe(1bpp) ](BF ) . Large atomic displacements resulting from Jahn-Teller distortions induce a change in the molecule dipole moment when switching between high-spin and low-spin states leading to a step-wise change in the electric polarization and dielectric constant. For temperatures in the region of bistability, the changes in magnetic and electrical properties are induced with a remarkably low magnetic field of 3 T.