Authors
Poonam Gupta, Durga Prasad Karothu, Ejaz Ahmed, Panče Naumov, Naba K Nath
Publication date
2018/7/9
Journal
Angewandte Chemie
Volume
130
Issue
28
Pages
8634-8638
Description
The first example of a smart crystalline material, the 2:1 cocrystal of probenecid and 4,4′‐azopyridine, which responds reversibly to multiple external stimuli (heat, UV light, and mechanical pressure) by twisting, bending, and elastic deformation without fracture is reported. This material is also able to self‐heal on heating and cooling, thereby overcoming the main setbacks of molecular crystals for future applications as crystal actuators. The photo‐ and thermomechanical effects and self‐healing capabilities of the material are rooted in reversible trans–cis isomerization of the azopyridine unit and crystal‐to‐crystal phase transition. Fairly isotropic intermolecular interactions and interlocked crisscrossed molecular packing secure high elasticity of the crystals.
Scholar articles
P Gupta, DP Karothu, E Ahmed, P Naumov, NK Nath - Angewandte Chemie, 2018