Using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and magnetic susceptibility measurements under light irradiation, the selective light-induced excited spin state trapping (LIESST) and the reversible-LIESST effect have been evidenced and studied in depth in the binuclear spin crossover compound $\left\{{\left[\mathrm{Fe}\left(\mathrm{bt}\right){\left(\mathrm{NCS}\right)}_2\right]}_2\mathrm{bpym}\right\}$. In this system, each magnetic site can switch from low spin (LS) to high spin (HS), so that three states exist, namely, the LS-LS, HS-LS, and HS-HS. All these techniques shine a new light on the high phototunability of this system. In addition to the direct photoswitching from the LS-LS to the HS-LS or to the HS-HS state, here we show that photoinduced switching between the excited photoinduced states can be triggered in a reversible way: from HS-LS to HS-HS (irradiation around $800\mathrm{nm}$), or reverse from HS-HS to HS-LS (irradiation around $1300\mathrm{nm}$). The nature of the intermediate HS-LS state during the thermal and light-induced spin state changes is also discussed by comparing the spectroscopic measurements and the structural analysis. The loss of inversion symmetry in the HS-LS molecular state, where the two magnetic Fe sites are no more equivalent, is not accompanied by any long-range ordering of the noncentrosymmetric molecules in the crystal. Therefore the continuous double-step spin conversion corresponds to a double crossover.

• Received 23 May 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.75.054101