Issue 22, 2023

An anomalous ferroelastic phase transition arising from an unusual cis-/anti-conformational reversal of polar organic cations

Abstract

Hybrid ferroelastics have attracted increasing attention for their potential application as mechanical switches. The sporadically documented anomalous ferroelastic phase transitions, i.e., ferroelasticity that appears at a high-temperature phase rather than a low-temperature phase, are of particular interest but are not well understood at the molecular level. By judiciously choosing a polar and flexible organic cation (Me2NH(CH2)2Br+) with cis-/anti- conformations as an A-site component, we obtained two new polar hybrid ferroelastics, A2[MBr6] (M = Te for 1 and Sn for 2). These materials undergo distinct thermal-induced ferroelastic phase transitions. The larger [TeBr6]2− anions anchor the adjacent organic cations well and essentially endow 1 with a conventional ferroelastic transition (P21Pm21n) arising from a common order-disorder transition of organic cations without conformational changes. Moreover, the smaller [SnBr6]2− anions can interact with the adjacent organic cations in energetically similar sets of intermolecular interactions, enabling 2 to undergo an anomalous ferroelastic phase transition (P212121P21) arising from an unusual cis-/anti-conformational reversal of organic cations. These two instances demonstrate the importance of the delicate balance of intermolecular interactions for inducing anomalous ferroelastic phase transitions. The findings here provide important insights for seeking new multifunctional ferroelastic materials.

Graphical abstract: An anomalous ferroelastic phase transition arising from an unusual cis-/anti-conformational reversal of polar organic cations

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
28 Feb 2023
Accepted
30 Apr 2023
First published
02 May 2023
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2023,14, 5965-5973

An anomalous ferroelastic phase transition arising from an unusual cis-/anti-conformational reversal of polar organic cations

B. Zhao, X. Chen, H. Ye, Y. Gong, J. Wang, L. Ye and W. Zhang, Chem. Sci., 2023, 14, 5965 DOI: 10.1039/D3SC01101A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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