Multistimuli Responsive Dynamic Effects in a One-Dimensional Coordination Polymer

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.