Multistimuli-Responsive Dynamic Effects in a One-Dimensional Coordination Polymer

Abstract

The development of multistimuli receptive actuators demands rational combination of suitable functionalities. Achieving such actuating properties in a single crystalline material is a challenge. In spite of several investigation on photo-, thermo-and mechano-responsive crystals, single crystalline material displaying all these effects is unknown. By a judicious combination of photoreactive 2-fluoro-4'-styrylpyridine units and flexible Pb(SCN)2 units, multistimuli responsive 1D CP showing all these dynamic effects has been fabricated. Single crystals of the CP display rapid ballistic events upon UV irradiation triggered by [2+2] cycloaddition of the photoreactive ligands. In addition, macroscopic jumping, bending, splitting of the crystals were observed during both heating and cooling cycles, because of the reversible phase transition. In addition, slander crystals of the CP exhibt elastic deformation upon the application of mechanical force. With handful examples CPs showing macroscopic dynamic effects, this CP paves the way for designing multistimuli responsive multi-salient actuating materials.

Crystal actuation switching by crystal thickness and light wavelength

“…[42][43][44] Another approach involves utilising different crystal actuation mechanisms. [45][46][47][48][49] Our research group created four motions from different crystal forms of the same molecule by combining two polymorphs (a and b) and two actuation mechanisms (photoisomerisation and the photothermal effect). 50 Actuation switching is another requirement for the practical application of photomechanical crystals.…”

Sunlight‐Induced In Situ Isomerization of Both Ligands in a Mixed‐Ligand Coordination Polymer: From Photosalient to Photoinert Crystals

“…[4] However, mechanical effects accompanied by photodimerization in CPs are still scarce in literature. Of CPs, this observation has been found in few cases for onedimensional (1D) CPs [29][30][31][32] reported by Vittal and our groups and only two reports for two-dimensional (2D) CPs [33][34] depicted by Lang group.…”

Photomechanical crystalline materials: new developments, property tuning and applications

“…13a–c). 153 The combination of photoreactive 2F-spy (2-fluoro-4′-styrylpyridine) units and flexible Pb 3 (SCN) 3 units provides a strategy for integrating the above properties. Due to the [2 + 2] cycloaddition of 2F-spy, the single crystals display rapid ballistic events under UV irradiation (Fig.…”