Spin crossover materials evaporated under clean high vacuum and ultra-high vacuum conditions: from thin films to single moleculesElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c2jm15094h

We report clean evaporation under ultra-high vacuum conditions of two spin crossover materials, yielding either microcrystallites or homogeneous thin films. Magnetic and photomagnetic studies show that thermal and light-induced spin crossover properties are preserved. Preliminary STM imaging of sub-monolayers indicates that the deposited molecules remain intact on the surface. Clean evaporation under UHV conditions of two spin crossover materials yielded thin films showing thermal and light-induced spin crossover. STM imaging of sub-monolayers indicates that deposited molecules remain intact.