Crossing the insulator-to-metal barrier with a thiazyl radical conductor.
The layered-sheet architecture of the crystal structure of the fluoro-substituted oxobenzene-bridged bisdithiazolyl radical FBBO affords a 2D π-electronic structure with a large calculated bandwidth. The material displays high electrical conductivity for a f = 1/2 system, with σ(300 K) = 2 × 10(-2) S cm(-1). While the conductivity is thermally activated at ambient pressure, with E(act) = 0.10 eV at 300 K, indicative of a Mott insulating state, E(act) is eliminated at 3 GPa, suggesting the formation of a metallic state. The onset of metallization is supported by infrared measurements, which show closure of the Mott-Hubbard gap above 3 GPa.
Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.
Aaron
A
Mailman
Stephen M
SM
Winter
Xin
X
Yu
Craig M
CM
Robertson
Wenjun
W
Yong
John S
JS
Tse
Richard A
RA
Secco
Zhenxian
Z
Liu
Paul A
PA
Dube
Judith A K
JA
Howard
Richard T
RT
Oakley