Ultrafast photoinduced dynamics in Prussian blue analogues

New magnetic materials and methods for controlling them are needed to improve data storage technologies. Recent progress has enabled optical detection and manipulation of spins in molecule-based magnets on the femtosecond timescale, which is promising for both increasing the read/write speed but also the data storage density. Experimental developments in femtosecond X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) and magneto-optics, in combination with theory advances, have opened up several new avenues to investigate molecule-based magnets. This review discusses the literature concerning ultrafast photoinduced dynamics in Prussian blue analogues (PBAs), which are molecule-based magnets. In PBAs spin–flips and lattice distortions can happen on the 100 fs timescale, which in some analogues lead to photoinduced changes in the long-range magnetic order. The literature and themes covered in this review are of relevance for ultrafast optical control of new multifunctional materials.