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Giant Single‐Crystal Shape Transformation with Wide Thermal Hysteresis Actuated by Synergistic Motions of Molecular Cations and Anions
Author(s) -
Wang XiaoLei,
Xue JinPeng,
Sun XiaoPeng,
Zhao YanXin,
Wu ShuQi,
Yao ZiShuo,
Tao Jun
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.202000845
Subject(s) - anisotropy , materials science , hysteresis , molecular dynamics , single crystal , chemical physics , thermal , crystal (programming language) , condensed matter physics , elongation , perpendicular , lattice (music) , crystal structure , thermal hysteresis , shape memory alloy , crystallography , chemistry , composite material , thermodynamics , geometry , physics , optics , computational chemistry , phase transition , ultimate tensile strength , programming language , mathematics , computer science , acoustics
Manipulating the collective molecular movements to implement macroscopic mechanical response of bulk material is attractive and challenging. Here, an organic‐inorganic hybrid single crystal is synthesized, which exhibits a giant macroscopic shape transformation with a remarkable thermal hysteretic feature. The colossal anisotropic shape change, which manifests as an abrupt elongation of ca. 9 % along the crystallographic c ‐axis and a concomitant contraction of ca. 9 % in a perpendicular direction, is induced by a significant reorientation of imidazolium, accompanied with a substantial configurational variation in CuBr 4 2− complex anions. The synergistic motions of both the molecular cations and anions engender a remarkable large thermal hysteresis (>30 K) in the shape transformation of the single crystal, implying that this material may play a role in alternating memory media. Furthermore, due to the stable crystal lattice, a single crystal that demonstrates naked‐eye detectable large shape transformation was used as a thermal actuator to spontaneously control an electric circuit by temperature variation.