Dielectric switching, SHG response and Pd(<scp>ii</scp>) adsorption of a multifunctional phase-transition complex

A one-dimensional coordination polymer [(C2H4OH)C4H9NS]CdCl3 (1) with flexible N-(2-hydroxyethyl)thiomorpholinium cations coordinating to central metal Cd crystallized in a chiral space group P212121 and showed a reversible phase transition at 174.4/162.8 K, which corresponded to the second harmonic generation (SHG) activity and dielectric switching. The introduction of a thioether group enables 1 to adsorb Pd(II) metal ions and the SHG signal and dielectric switching disappeared after adsorption; hence, Pd(II) adsorption can be monitored by the measurements of SHG and dielectric switching. This study emphasizes the advantages of introducing functional groups into the phase transition materials and presents a new approach to design multifunctional materials.