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Pressure-induced lock-in in an aperiodic nanoporous crystal
B Toudic1, F Aubert, C Ecolivet
1Groupe Matière Condensée et Matériaux UMR CNRS 6626, Université de Rennes 1, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France.
Physical Review Letters
|May 23, 2006
Summary
Researchers observed a commensurate lock-in in an aperiodic composite for the first time. This finding in hexadecane urea crystals under pressure may enable manipulation of molecular functions using controlled forces.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Crystallography
- Supramolecular Chemistry
Background:
- Aperiodic composites exhibit complex structures.
- Understanding their behavior under external stimuli is crucial for materials design.
- Supramolecular materials offer unique properties due to self-assembly.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report the first observation of a commensurate lock-in in an aperiodic composite.
- To investigate the role of selective sublattice compressibility and lock-in energy.
- To explore the potential for manipulating molecular properties via controlled forces.
Main Methods:
- Neutron diffraction was employed for structural analysis.
- Hydrostatic pressure was applied to the material.
- The study focused on the prototype self-assembled crystal of hexadecane urea.
Main Results:
- A commensurate lock-in was successfully observed within the aperiodic composite.
- Selective compressibility of sublattices was identified as a necessary condition.
- The existence of a lock-in energy term was confirmed in these supramolecular materials.
Conclusions:
- The study demonstrates a novel phenomenon in aperiodic composites.
- This finding highlights the importance of sublattice compressibility and lock-in energy.
- The results open avenues for controlling molecular functions using external forces under confinement.
