Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 24, 2025
Improving High Viscosity Extrusion of Microcrystals for Time-resolved Serial Femtosecond Crystallography at X-ray Lasers
Published on: February 28, 2019
A superelastochromic crystal
Toshiki Mutai1, Toshiyuki Sasaki2, Shunichi Sakamoto2
1Department of Materials and Environmental Science, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-Ku, Tokyo, 153-8505, Japan. mutai@iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp.
Abstract:
Chromism-color changes by external stimuli-has been intensively studied to develop smart materials because of easily detectability of the stimuli by eye or common spectroscopy as color changes. Luminescent chromism has particularly attracted research interest because of its high sensitivity. The color changes typically proceed in a one-way, two-state cycle, i.e. a stimulus-induced state will restore the initial state by another stimuli. Chromic systems showing instant, biphasic color switching and spontaneous reversibility will have wider practical applicability. Here we report luminescent chromism having such characteristics shown by mechanically controllable phase transitions in a luminescent organosuperelastic crystal. In mechanochromic luminescence, superelasticity-diffusion-less plastic deformation with spontaneous shape recoverability-enables real-time, reversible, and stepless control of the abundance ratio of biphasic color emissions via a single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformation by controlling a single stimulus, force stress. The unique chromic system, referred to as superelastochromism, holds potential for realizing informative molecule-based mechanical sensing.
Related Concept Videos
02:58Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes
To explain the observed behavior of transition metal complexes (such as colors), a model involving electrostatic interactions between the electrons from the ligands and the electrons in the unhybridized d orbitals of the central metal atom has been developed. This electrostatic model is crystal field theory (CFT). It helps to understand, interpret, and predict the colors, magnetic behavior, and some structures of coordination compounds of transition metals.
CFT focuses on...
01:10Recrystallization: Solid–Solution Equilibria
01:21Polymer Classification: Crystallinity
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...
02:42Ionic Crystal Structures
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...
02:18X-ray Crystallography
Diffraction
Diffraction is the change in the direction of travel experienced by an electromagnetic wave when it encounters a physical barrier whose dimensions are comparable to those of the wavelength of the light. X-rays are electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths about as long as the distance between neighboring...