Magnetic field induced phase transition of CrCl2(pyrazine)2

Phase transitions induced by an applied magnetic field are rare compared to those caused by changes in temperature, pressure, or composition. In our search for such a transition, we wish to study the field dependence of a temperature-induced phase transition exhibited by CrCl2(pyrazine)2 and probe whether it is possible to induce the transition by field alone. The material can be directly synthesised either in the orthorhombic Immm phase or the tetragonal I4/mmm phase. As the tetragonal phase exhibits a conductivity three times higher than that of the orthorhombic phase, manipulating the transition between the two phases via field will allow a fine-tuning of the material’s conductive properties that has previously been unachievable. Furthermore, if observed, the presence of a phase transition induced by field alone would shed light on its potential mechanism and applications in molecule-based devices of the future.