The first detection of photomodulation by both DC and in-phase AC susceptibility for organic/inorganic hybrid materials containing cyano-bridged Gd–Cr complex and azobenzene

Abstract New organic/inorganic hybrid material containing a ferrimagnetic cyano-bridged binuclear complex, [Gd(DMF)4(H2O)3Cr(CN)6]·H2O (DMF=N,N′-dimethylformamide), and photochromic azobenzene in poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) cast films has been prepared. We characterized magnetic properties of bulk [Gd(DMF)4(H2O)3Cr(CN)6]·H2O and confirmed that it was not changed by light illumination at all. For the first time, we could detect reversible changes of both DC and in-phase AC susceptibility for the hybrid materials accompanying with cis–trans photoisomerization of azobenzene after UV and visible light illumination for 3 min at 3 K. We also discuss the kind of detectable magnetic changes (e.g. DC, in-phase AC, and both DC and in-phase AC) and the nature of some photo-magnetic functional hybrid materials (cis–trans photoisomerization and increase/decrease of magnetization) known to estimate their mechanism and interactions.