Electrical read-out of light-induced spin transition in thin film spin crossover/graphene heterostructures

Magneto-opto-electronic properties are shown for a hybrid device constructed from a spin crossover (SCO) thin film of a Fe[HB(3,5-(Me)2Pz)3]2 molecular material evaporated over a graphene sensing layer. The principle of electrical detection of the light-induced spin transition in SCO/graphene heterostructures is demonstrated. The switchable spin state of the molecular film is translated into a change of conductance of the graphene channel. The low temperature write/erase process of the conductive remnant states is implemented using two distinct excitation wavelengths, in the red (light-induced spin state trapping, LIESST) region for stabilizing the metastable paramagnetic state, and in the near infrared (reverse-LIESST) region for retrieving the stable diamagnetic state. The bistability of the system is confirmed over a significant temperature window through light-induced thermal hysteresis (LITH). This opens new avenues to study the light-induced spin transition mechanisms exploring the coupling mechanisms between SCO systems and 2D materials, providing electrical readings of the molecules/2D substrate interfaces. These results demonstrate how the electronic states of insulating molecular switches can be stored, read and manipulated by multiple stimuli, while transducing them into low impedance signals, thanks to two-dimensional detectors, revealing the full potential of mixed-dimensional heterostructures for molecular electronics and spintronics.