Amina Benchohra

• PhD
• Professor (Assistant) at Université de Bretagne Occidentale

Preparing thin films of molecular polymetallic materials remains one of the current limitations in the implementation of polymetallic complexes into devices. The hurdle is tackled here using an electrochemical route for depositing the cyanido‐bridged polymetallic complex {Tl⊂[FeII(2‐TPhTp)(CN)3]4[CoIII(Tp)]3[CoII(Tp)]}(1) (where 2‐TPhTp = [4‐(2‐thi...

Complete or partial replacement of well-known five-membered chelating 2,2’-bipyridine (bipy) or 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) ligands with analogous didentate 2,2’-biimidazole (H2biim) opens novel perspectives for exploiting the latter pH-tuneable bridging unit for...

Incorporating chiral elements in host–guest systems currently attracts much attention because of the major impact such structures may have in a wide range of applications, from pharmaceuticals to materials science and beyond. Moreover, the development of multi‐responsive and ‐functional systems is highly desirable since they offer numerous benefits...

Incorporating chiral elements in host‐guest systems currently focuses much attention, which results from the major impact such structures may have onto a wide range of applications, from pharmaceuticals to materials science and beyond. Moreover, the development of multi‐responsive and ‐functional systems is highly desirable since they offer numerou...

Whereas dye-sensitized lanthanide-doped nanoparticles represent an unquestionable advance for pushing linear near-infrared (NIR) to visible-light upconversion within the frame of applications, analogous improvements are difficult to mimic for related but intramolecular processes induced at the molecular level in coordination complexes. Major diffic...

Coordination driven self-assembly of achiral components, i.e., hexa-alkylated truxene ligands (L) with bis-metallic complexes (M2), afforded three chiral face-rotating stereoisomer polyhedra (M6L2). By tuning the length of the alkyl chains as well as the distance between both ligands facing each other in the self-assemblies (M6L2), one can control...

The search for chiral chromophores with efficient circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) is an on‐going hot topic in chemistry due to their potential applications in emerging fields such as spintronics and photonics. Beyond the largely exploited p‐block, 4d/5d‐block and f‐block chiral entities, chiral chromium(III) complexes have recently attracte...

Responsive materials that can answer to chemical or physical external stimuli offer numerous prospects in material science. Here, we have elaborated a two-step synthetic approach that allows incorporating molecular cubic switches into a polymeric material. Firstly, a preformed half-capped, Cs +-templated {Fe 4 Co 4 } cyanido-polymetallic cubic unit...

The [FeII(C6F5Tp)2] spin‐crossover complex is an atypical molecular switch, which can be converted upon annealing between two archetypal spin‐crossover behaviours: from an extremely gradual spin‐crossover to a broad hysteretic spin‐transition (of ca. 65 K). The hysteresis shows an uncommon “rounded shape” that is reproducible upon cycling temperatu...

The [FeII(C6F5Tp)2] complex is converted through melting from a crystal phase showing a very gradual spin‐crossover to another one showing a broad hysteretic spin‐transition. The uncommon „rounded“ hysteresis occurs in a non‐cooperative SCO system. It is due to a symmetry‐breaking phase transition that is triggered when roughly ca. 50 % of the SCO...

A key challenge in the design of magnetic molecular switches is to obtain bistability at room temperature. Here, we show that application of moderate pressure makes it possible to convert a paramagnetic FeIII2CoII2 square complex into a molecular switch exhibiting a full dia‐ to paramagnetic transition: FeIICoIII ⇔ FeIIICoII. Moreover, the complex...

A key challenge in the design of magnetic molecular switches is to obtain bistability at room temperature. Here, we show that a moderate pressure allows converting a paramagnetic Fe III 2 Co II 2 square complex into a molecular switch exhibiting a full dia‐ to para‐magnetic transition: Fe II Co III ⬄ Fe III Co II . Moreover, the complex follows a r...

A series of pyridinium-betaine-like molecules has been reported; one family of molecules is built with a benzimidazole core and a second one with a pyrimidine moiety. The title compounds were prepared by mixing 2-chlorobenzimidazole or 2-bromopyrimidine with the corresponding pyridines (pyridine, 4-tert-butylpyridine, 4-hydroxypyridine, potassium p...

Electrospray ionization (EI) deposition is proven efficient in obtaining monolayers of a polymetallic charge transfer complex onto gold surfaces. The molecule’s integrity is monitored by PM-IRRAS and XPS. This approach...

A mixed‐valence {MnII3MnIIIFeII2FeIII2} cyanide‐bridged molecular cube hosting a caesium cation, Cs⊂{Mn4Fe4}, was synthesized and structurally characterized by X‐ray diffraction. Cyclic‐voltammetry measurements show that its electronic state can be switched between five different redox states, which results in a remarkable electrochromic effect. Ma...

Synthese ins Blaue: Der Cs⊂{Mn4Fe4}-Würfel, das erste lösliche molekulare Modell der MnFe-Analoga von Berliner Blau, wird mittels Röntgenbeugung, Cyclovoltammetrie, UV/Vis-Absorptionsspektroskopie und magnetischer Messungen untersucht. Nahe Raumtemperatur findet ein Wechsel des Spinzustands statt, der einem Metall-zu-Metall-Elektronentransfer zuges...

Two chiral face-rotating metalla-assembled polyhedra were constructed upon self-assembling achiral components, i.e., a tritopic ligand based on a truxene core (10,15-dihydro-5H-diindeno[1,2-a;1′,2′-c]fluorene) and two different hydroxyquinonato–bridged diruthenium complexes. Both polyhedra were characterized in solution as well as in the solid stat...

Molecular switchesare molecules that can asdjust their(chemical, physical) properties in response to an external stimulus. The fascinating properties of molecular switches have drawn most attention in molecular electronics and more generally in advances materials research. This PhD project was developped at the frontiers of ERMMES and Polymeres res...

Cyanide coordination clusters have received attention for their electronic and magnetic properties. Here, we synthesized a new octametallic cyanide box encapsulating a Cs⁺. The cationic complex Cs⊂[FeIII4(Tp)4NiII4(NMe2Tp)4(μ-CN)12]⁺ was crystallized as a BF4⁻ salt and its structure reveals that the cesium ion interacts with the twelve cyanide edge...

Antibody detection in autoimmune disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Rett syndrome (RTT) can be achieved more efficiently using synthetic peptides. The previously developed synthetic antigenic probe CSF114(Glc), a type I' β-turn N-glucosylated peptide structure, is able to recognize antibodies in MS and RTT patients' sera as a sign of imm...