Abstract
Although a plethora of metal complexes have been characterized, those having multifunctional properties are very rare. This article reports three isotypical complexes, namely [Cu(benzoate)L 2], where L = 4-styryl pyridine (4spy) (1), 2′-fluoro-4-styryl pyridine (2F-4spy) (2) and 3′-fluoro-4-styryl pyridine (3F-4spy) (3), which show photosalient behavior (photoinduced crystal mobility) while they undergo [2+2] cyclo addition. These crystals also exhibit anisotropic thermal expansion when heated from room temperature to 200°C. The overall thermal expansion of the crystals is impressive, with the largest volumetric thermal expansion coefficients for 1, 2 and 3 of 241.8, 233.1 and 285.7 × 10-6 K-1, respectively, values that are comparable to only a handful of other reported materials known to undergo colossal thermal expansion. As a result of the expansion, their single crystals occasionally move by rolling. Altogether, these materials exhibit unusual and hitherto untapped solid-state properties.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 83-89 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | IUCrJ |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | Pt 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2020 |
Keywords
- [2+2] cyclo additions
- crystal engineering
- mechanochemistry
- metal complexes
- molecular crystals
- organic solid-state reactions
- photosalient effects
- properties of solids
- solid-state reactions
- thermal expansion
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- General Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics