Versatile Ferroelastic Deformability in an Organic Single Crystal by Twinning about a Molecular Zone Axis

Ferroelasticity involves the generation of spontaneous strain in a solid by the application of mechanical stress. The phenomenon has been well-studied in metal alloys but relatively neglected in organic solid-state chemistry. Herein we present multiple discrete modes of mechanical twinning and a mechanistic analysis of ferroelasticity in 1,4-diethoxybenzene. Single crystals of the compound can be almost freely deformed, as multiple different twin domains are generated simultaneously. Within each domain, single-crystal character is preserved. Such extremely versatile, ferroelastic deformability is unprecedented in single crystals of any kind and defies the fragility and anisotropic mechanical behaviour of most organic crystals. The dissipated energy and critical stress associated with twinning deformation in 1,4-diethoxybenzene suggests that organic solids could be developed for absorbing weak mechanical shocks in such applications as mechanical damping and soft robotics.