Two conductive phases of 1,3-dimethylimidazolium-(TCNQ)2 complex salt

Two conductive phases were found by crystallization of the complex ion-radical salt of the 1,3-dimethylimidazolium 7,7′,8,8′-tetracyano1,4-quinodimethane (TCNQ) under different conditions: (i) bulk crystallization from the acetonitrile solution and (ii) crystallization on a glass substrate giving rise to an interconnected fibrous crystal conductive network (σ = 1.7 mS −1). The electrical conductivity of the latter phase is more than four orders of magnitude higher than that of the former phase. The crystal lattices of both phases are different. The first phase is triclinia (P1) with cell parameters a = 7.811 Å, b = 13.378 Å, c = 7.276 Å, α = 93.152 °, β= 113.739 °, γ = 106.068 °. Indexing of the X-ray diffraction patterns recorded with samples of the latter phase gives a = 13.65 Å, b = 12.70 Å, c = 3.80 Å, γ = 108.3 °; α and β could not be determined.