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We report the first examples of radical-cation salts of BEDT-TTF with spiroborate anions [B(mandelate)

We report the first examples of radical-cation salts of BEDT-TTF with spiroborate anions [B(mandelate)2]− and [B(2-chloromandelate)2]−, synthesized from either enantiopure or racemic bidentate mandelate or chloromandelate ligands. In the salts prepared using enantiopure ligands only one of two diastereoisomers of the spiroborate anion is incorporated, with the boron centre having the same stereochemistry as the enantiopure ligand. For the racemic salts one racemic pair of spiroborate anions containing an R and an S mandelate ligand is incorporated. In certain solvents helical crystals were obtained when using spiroborate anions with enantiopure ligands. Electrical and magnetic properties, and band structure calculations are reported.

A new molecular superconductor, β”-(BEDTTTF)2[(H2O)(NH4)2Cr(C2O4)3].18-crown-6, has been synthesized from the organic donor molecule BEDT-TTF with the anion Cr(C2O4)3 3- . The crystal structure consists of conducting organic layers of BEDT-TTF molecules which adopt the β” packing motif (layer A), layers of NH4 + and Λ-Cr(C2O4)3 3- (layer B), layers of (H2O)(NH4)18- crown-6 (layer C), and layers of NH4 + and Δ-Cr(C2O4)3 3- (layer D) which produce a superstructure with a repeating pattern of ABCDABCDA. As a result of this packing arrangement this is the 2D superconductor with the widest gap between conducting layers where only a single donor packing motif is present (β”). Superconducting critical temperatures at ambient pressure observed by electrical transport and magnetic measurements are 4.0- 4.9 and 2.5 K, respectively. The strong 2D nature of this system, the broad transition to Tzero at 1.8K, and the transition of α of V ∝ Iα from 1 to 3 on I-V curves strongly suggests that the superconducting transition is very close to a Kosterlitz-Thouless transition. The magnetic field dependence of the superconducting critical temperature parallel to the conducting plane gives an upper critical field μ0Hc2// > 8 T, which is over the calculated Pauli-Clogston limit for this material.

The series of salts β''-(BEDT-TTF)

The series of salts β′′-(BEDT-TTF)2[(H2O)(NH4)2M(C2O4)3]·18-crown-6 show ambient-pressure superconductivity when M = Cr, Rh. Evidence indicates that the previously reported Cr and Rh salts show a bulk Berezinski–Kosterlitz–Thouless superconducting transition. The isostructural ruthenium and iridium salts are reported here. The Ir salt represents the first radical-cation salt to contain a 5d tris(oxalato)metalate anion. The Ru and Ir salts do not show superconductivity but instead undergo a broad chemically induced metal to insulator transition at 155 K for ruthenium and at 100 K for iridium. The c axes of the Ru and Ir salts are much shorter than those of the Rh and Cr salts. Thus, the more stable metallic state of the Cr and Rh salts is associated with the more strongly 2D electronic systems. The different low-temperature behavior of the Ru and Ir salts, which exhibit a smaller interlayer spacing, could originate from a structural change in the anionic layer which thus can be easily transmitted to the donor layers and generate a localized state. However, another possibility is that it originates from Berezinski–Kosterlitz–Thouless effects., This work has been supported by a Royal Society Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship, and the JSPS (KAKENHI Grant Number JP17H01144) and Royal Society (Research Grants (RG100853 and RG081209), International Exchange Scheme (IE130367 and IE150152), and International Joint Project (JP0869972)). L.M. thanks the Royal Society and Leverhulme Trust for a Senior Research Fellowship. J.R.L. and L.M. thank Nottingham Trent University for Ph.D. funding. E.C. acknowledges support by the MICIU (Spain) through Grant PGC2018-096955-BC44 and the Severo Ochoa Centers of Excellence Program (Grant SEV-2015-0496) as well as by the Generalitat de Catalunya (2017SGR1506).

The synthesis, crystal structure and resistivity of a new semiconducting BEDT-TTF radical-cation salt containing the tris(oxalato)germanate(IV) anion is reported. BEDT-TTF 4 [Ge(C 2 O 4 ) 3 ].0.5dichloromethane crystallizes in the space group P 2 1 / c, a = 18.322(7), b = 11.919(4), c = 32.746(11) A, β = 105.797(5)°, V = 6881(4) A 3 , T = 295(1) K, Z = 4. Electrical resistivity measurements show that BEDT-TTF 4 [Ge(C 2 O 4 ) 3 ].0.5dichloromethane is a semiconductor with an activation energy of 0.224 eV and room temperature resistivity of 212 Ω cm.

A new molecular superconductor, β″-(BEDT-TTF)

Electrocrystallisations of the chiral donor molecule S,S-bis(2-hydroxylpropylthio)ethylenedithiotetrathiafulvalene have produced a series of 1 : 1 semiconducting radical-cation salts with anions bromide, chloride, perchlorate and hexafluorophosphate. The flexibility and hydrogen bonding ability of the donor's chiral side chains lead to three quite different packing arrangements of donor cation pairs. Conductivity is maintained despite significant separations of donor cation pairs in some cases.

This article reports a family of new radical-cation salts of bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene (BEDT-TTF) with tris(oxalato)rhodate: three salts with the formula β′′-(BEDT-TTF)4[(cation)Rh(C2O4)3]·solvent (solvent = fluorobenzene, chlorobenzene, or bromobenzene) and one with the formula pseudo-κ-(BEDT-TTF)4[(NH4)Rh(C2O4)3]·benzonitrile. We report here the syntheses, crystal structures, electrical properties and Raman spectroscopy of these new molecular conductors. The bromobenzene salt shows a decrease in resistivity below 2.5 K indicative of a superconducting transition and a Shubnikov–de Haas oscillation with a frequency of 232 T and effective mass m* of 1.27me.

The new chiral TTF-based donor molecule bis(2-hydroxypropylthio)ethylenedithiotetrathiafulvalene has produced enantiopure R,R and S,S radical cation salts with the tetrafluoroborate anion as well as the nearly isostructural meso/racemate mixture. The enantiopure R,R or S,S salts are both 1:1 semiconducting salts with activation energies of 0.19–0.24 eV, both crystallising in the orthorhombic space group C2221. The semiconducting salt containing both meso and racemic donor cations has a very similar crystal structure but crystallising in the monoclinic space group C2/c (β = 91.39°) with similar S⋯S interactions but a smaller activation energy of 0.15–0.17 eV. This is in contrast to previous families of this type where the disordered racemate has a larger activation energy than its enantiopure salts.

We report a novel multilayered organic–inorganic hybrid material, β″-(BEDT-TTF)2[(H2O)(NH4)2Rh(C2O4)3]·18-crown-6. This is the first molecular superconductor to have a superlattice with layers of both BEDT-TTF and 18-crown-6 and also the first with the anion tris(oxalato)rhodate. This is the 2D superconductor with the widest gap between conducting layers, where only a single donor packing motif is observed (β″). The strong 2D nature of this system strongly suggests that the superconducting transition is a Kosterlitz–Thouless transition. A superconducting Tc of 2.7 K at ambient pressure was found by transport measurements and 2.5 K by magnetic susceptibility measurements.

We have synthesized the first examples of radical-cation salts of BEDT-TTF with chiral borate anions, [B(malate)2](-), prepared from either enantiopure or racemic bidentate malate ligands. In the former case only one of two diastereoisomers of the borate anion is incorporated, while for the hydrated racemic salt one racemic pair of borate anions containing a R and a S malate ligand is incorporated. Their conducting and magnetic properties are reported. The tight-binding band calculation indicates that the chiral salt has an effective half-filled flat band, which is likely to be caused by the chiral structural feature.

Hydroxymethyl-BEDT-TTF is converted by tosylation and elimination into exo-methylene-BEDT-TTF whose exocyclic double bond leads to a small increase in the oxidation potential, and from which radical cation salts with perchlorate and triiodide have been prepared, the latter showing semiconductor properties. Allyloxymethyl- and allylthiomethyl-BEDT-TTF, the first BEDT-TTF derivatives with an alkene in the side chain, have been prepared, along with a 1 : 2 radical cation perchlorate salt of the former, an insulator which contains a donor dication.