Abstract:
A discrete [ce(l1)(no3)3] (1; l1 = macrocyclic schiff base ligand) complex exhibits both ferroelectricity and magnetic bistability together, which is extremely rare and challenging to achieve. The presence of the second harmonic generation (shg) signal in 1 implies the presence of a non-centrosymmetric space/point group associated with this complex. The ferroelectric phase transition temperature in 1 is observed at room temperature (303 k), which is confirmed by dielectric measurements. Switching the spontaneous polarization in 1 requires a low external electric field (2 v). The presence of magnetic bistability in 1 was confirmed by the frequency-dependent out-of-phase susceptibility signals (hdc = 1.5 koe) and the effective energy barrier for the magnetization reversal is estimated to be 29.04 k. Therefore 1 is envisaged as a potential molecular-based multiferroic and can be considered for low power memory applications. © 2022 the royal society of chemistry