Multifunctional Material: Bistable Metal–Cyanide Polymer of Rubidium Manganese Hexacyanoferrate

Abstract

Abstract Since phase-transition phenomena in solid-state materials can change the magnetic, electrical, and optical properties with external stimuli, they are attracting widespread attention from the viewpoints of both fundamental science and practical applications. We have synthesized various cyano-bridged metal complexes possessing anomalous bistabilities that exhibit unprecedented phase transition phenomena. This paper focuses on rubidium manganese hexacyanoferrate, RbxMn[Fe(CN)6](x+2)/3·zH2O, which is a Prussian blue analogue. Here, the unique functionalities of rubidium manganese hexacyanoferrate are described: a charge-transfer-induced phase transition, control of the thermal hysteresis loop, and a huge thermal hysteresis with a hidden stable phase are presented as thermally-induced phase-transition phenomena, while a photoinduced phase collapse is described as a novel photoinduced phase-transition phenomenon. A one-shot-laser-induced charge-transfer phase transition is displayed as a photoinduced phase-transition phenomenon at ambient temperature. Moreover, second harmonic generation (SHG) and magnetization-induced second harmonic generation (MSHG) are provided as correlation effects between the optical and dielectrical properties. Finally, a one-shot-laser-induced photo-demagnetization and reversible photomagnetic switching between ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism are demonstrated as photomagnetic effects.