Studies on bifunctional Fe(ii)-triazole spin crossover nanoparticles: time-dependent luminescence, surface grafting and the effect of a silica shell and hydrostatic pressure on the magnetic properties

Pure and silica wrapped Fe(II)-triazole (FeHTrz) spin-crossover (SCO) nanoparticles have been prepared following a water-in-oil synthetic procedure. The size and shape can be tuned by controlling the Fe(II) and triazole concentrations in the aqueous phase. The magnetic properties of these nanoparticles are strongly affected by the presence of a silica shell embedding the nanostructured FeHTrz polymer. Whereas bare FeHTrz nanoparticles exhibit abrupt and cooperative spin transition with 24–35K-wide thermal hysteresis loops, for the silica derivates the hysteresis width increases up to 37–42 K. This probes the efficiency of the silica shell to promote interparticle interactions and enhance cooperativity effects. Tomographic studies of the FeHTrz@SiO2 nanoparticles reveal a core–shell structure with the pure FeHTrz polymer wrapped into a thin shell of pure silica. Taking advantage of the chemical properties of the silica shell, these hybrid nanoparticles were coated with a dansyl derivate fluorophore whose luminescence properties can be adjusted by the spin state of the SCO polymer. Time-dependent luminescence studies reveal the existence of a non-radiative energy transfer (Förster type) between the organic fluorophore and the Fe(II)-low spin ions. These nanoparticles have also been functionalized with thiol groups allowing them to be deposited onto a gold surface in a controlled manner