Molecular rotation has attracted much attention with respect to the development of artificial molecular motors, in an attempt to mimic the intelligent and useful functions of biological molecular motors. Random motion of molecular rotators--for example the 180 degree flip-flop motion of a rotatory unit--causes a rotation of the local structure. Here, we show that such motion is controllable using an external electric field and demonstrate how such molecular rotators can be used as polarization rotation units in ferroelectric molecules. In particular, m-fluoroanilinium forms a hydrogen-bonding assembly with dibenzo[18]crown-6, which was introduced as the counter cation of [Ni(dmit)(2)](-) anions (dmit(2-) = 2-thioxo-1,3-dithiole-4,5-dithiolate). The supramolecular rotator of m-fluoroanilinium exhibited dipole rotation by the application of an electric field, and the crystal showed a ferroelectric transition at 348 K. These findings will open up new strategies for ferroelectric molecules where a chemically designed dipole unit enables control of the nature of the ferroelectric transition temperature.

Supramolecular rotators of hydrogen-bonding assemblies between anilinium (Ph-NH 3 (+)) or adamantylammonium (AD-NH 3 (+)) and dibenzo[18]crown-6 (DB[18]crown-6) or meso-dicyclohexano[18]crown-6 (DCH[18]crown-6) were introduced into [Ni(dmit) 2] salts (dmit (2-) is 2-thioxo-1,3-dithiole-4,5-dithiolate). The ammonium moieties of Ph-NH 3 (+) and AD-NH 3 (+) cations were interacted through N-H (+) approximately O hydrogen bonding with the six oxygen atoms of crown ethers, forming 1:1 supramolecular rotator-stator structures. X-ray crystal-structure analyses revealed a jackknife-shaped conformation of DB[18]crown-6, in which two benzene rings were twisted along the same direction, in (Ph-NH 3 (+))(DB[18]crown-6)[Ni(dmit) 2] (-) ( 1) and (AD-NH 3 (+))(DB[18]crown-6)[Ni(dmit) 2] (-) ( 3), whereas the conformational flexibility of two dicyclohexyl rings was observed in (Ph-NH 3 (+))(DCH[18]crown-6)[Ni(dmit) 2] (-) ( 2) and (AD-NH 3 (+))(DCH[18]crown-6)[Ni(dmit) 2] (-) ( 4). Sufficient space for the molecular rotation of the adamantyl group was achieved in the crystals of salts 3 and 4, whereas the rotation of the phenyl group in salts 1 and 2 was rather restricted by the nearest neighboring molecules. The rotation of the adamantyl group in salts 3 and 4 was evidenced from the temperature-dependent wide-line (1)H NMR spectra, dielectric properties, and X-ray crystal structure analysis. ab initio calculations showed that the potential energy barriers for the rotations of adamantyl groups in salts 3 (Delta E approximately 18 kJmol (-1)) and 4 (Delta E approximately 15 kJmol (-1)) were similar to those of ethane ( approximately 12 kJmol (-1)) and butane (17-25 kJmol (-1)) around the C-C single bond, which were 1 order of magnitude smaller than those of phenyl groups in salts 1 (Delta E approximately 180 kJmol (-1)) and 2 (Delta E approximately 340 kJmol (-1)). 1D or 2D [Ni(dmit) 2] (-) anion arrangements were observed in the crystals according to the shape of crown ether derivatives. The 2D weak intermolecular interactions between [Ni(dmit) 2] (-) anions in salts 1 and 3 led to Curie-Weiss behavior with weak antiferromagnetic interaction, whereas 1D interactions through lateral sulfur-sulfur atomic contacts between [Ni(dmit) 2] (-) anions were observed in salts 2 and 4, whose magnetic behaviors were dictated by ferromagnetic (salt 2) and singlet-triplet (salt 4) intermolecular magnetic interactions, respectively.

The supramolecular (HOPD(+))(DB[18]crown-6) cation, in which HOPD(+) and DB[18]crown-6 are o-aminoanilinium and dibenzo[18]crown-6, respectively, was introduced into [Ni(dmit)(2)](-) salts (dmit(2-) = 2-thioxo-1,3-dithiole-4,5-dithiolate). Conformational polymorphs were observed as tetragonal (HOPD(+))(DB[18]crown-6)[Ni(dmit)(2)](-) (1) and monoclinic (HOPD(+))(DB[18]crown-6)[Ni(dmit)(2)](-) (2). The ammonium group of HOPD(+) in salts 1 and 2 formed the N-H(+)O hydrogen bonds at the bottom and upper positions of V-shaped DB[18]crown-6, respectively, thereby producing a different supramolecular conformation. The [Ni(dmit)(2)](-) anion arrangements in salts 1 and 2 were 4(1)-helical pi stacking and a two-dimensional layer, respectively, depending on the conformation of the supramolecular cations. The magnetic behavior of salts 1 and 2 obeyed the Curie-Weiss law at room temperature with S = 1/2 spin on the [Ni(dmit)(2)](-) anion. However, the g value and line width in the electron resonance spectra of salt 1 showed a magnetic anomaly at 28 K, which was owing to antiferromagnetic ordering in the 4(1)-helical [Ni(dmit)(2)](-) pi stack. Large temperature- and frequency-dependent dielectric responses were observed for salt 2 at temperatures above 200 K, whereas no particular dielectric responses were observed in salt 1. The molecular motion of HOPD(+) within the cationic layer of salt 2 contributed to the dielectric response, and this was supported by ab initio calculations showing the potential-energy curve for pendulum motion and by the large thermal parameters in the X-ray crystal structure analysis. The fixed (HOPD(+))(DB[18]crown-6) arrangement in the crystal of salt 1 was consistent with the small dielectric response. The steric hindrance of the o-amino group of HOPD(+) in the supramolecular cation structure yielded the conformational polymorph with different dielectric and magnetic properties.