engleski

Crystalline coordination polymers on the move

The newly discovered fascinating ability of molecular crystals to mimic the behaviour of biological systems, i.e., capability of crystalline material to respond with a mechanical motion to a variety of thermal, light, or mechanical stimuli, while retaining its crystallinity, has attracted the attention of a wide scientific audience. The long-range ordered crystal structure that enables fast and efficient energy transfer, combined with mechanical flexibility qualifies such materials as a great candidates for utilization in emerging technologies. However, the structural features that allow molecular crystals, either organic or metal-organic compounds, to respond flexibly are not yet perspicuous. Recently, we have reported that crystalline coordination polymers of cadmium(II) show surprisingly wide spectrum of diverse mechanical responses, which were governed by introduced fine structural changes. To further examine structure-property correlation and get closer to unravelling the intricacies of structural factors that enable crystals of coordination polymers to respond flexibly upon application of mechanical force, with a desired nature and extent of bending motion, we opted for another family of Cd(II) coordination polymers. We focus on pyridine-based ligands decorated with the amide moiety, while keeping all the other molecular features constant. The mechanical behavior of selected crystalline polymers was quantified through custom designed experiments, commented from a structural point of view, and compared with similar mechanically responsive metal-containing systems.

Crystalline coordination polymers ; cadmium(II) ; mechanical flexibility ; amide moiety

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