Elastically bendable chiral metal halide crystals
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Updated: Nov 4, 2026
From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding
Published on: March 24, 2018
Ying Zhang1, Cheng Qian2, Yong-Ji Gong1
1School of Materials Science and Engineering & State Key Laboratory of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300350, China.
Abstract:
Metal halide single crystals exhibit superior optoelectronic properties, promising for applications in optics and energy. However, they are inherently brittle, which has posed a major challenge for use in flexible electronics. Here, we report the elastic bending in a family of chiral lead halide crystals R-(AP)PbI3 ∙ H2O, S-(AP)PbI3 ∙ H2O, R-(AP)PbI3, and S-(AP)PbI3, (AP = 3-amino-1,2-propanediol) that originates from their rigid-flex structural motif. Upon mechanical bending, the AP+ molecular units flex and rotate, causing the molecular interactions to reorganize and effectively dissipate stress. Meanwhile, the rigid [PbI3]- metal-halide chains maintain the structural integrity of the lattice, thereby conferring exceptional elastic flexibility. The devices fabricated using these crystals with a facile nonwoven manner show significantly higher sensitivity to underwater ultrasound waves than piezoelectric ceramics. Our work paves the way for integration of bendable metal halide crystals into next-generation electronic devices.
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