Superelasticity is an elastic response to an applied external force that occurs via phase transformation. The resulting actuation of the materials is an elastic response to external stimuli, including light and heat. While superelasticity and actuation are deformations resulting from stimulus-induced stress—a phenomenological difference exists between the two, depending on the force. In a new report now published in Communications Chemistry, Takuya Taniguchi and a research team in advanced science and engineering, data science, life sciences and materials science in Japan, described a molecular crystal that manifested superelasticity during photo-actuation under light irradiation. The crystal showed step-wise twisted actuation based on two effects, including photoisomerization and photo-triggered phase transition. They simulated the actuation behavior on a dynamic multi-layer model to reveal progressive photoisomerization and phase-transition in the crystal, while indicating superelasticity induced by modest stress as a result of photoproduct formation. The work provides successful simulations of step-wise twisted actuation to indicate superelasticity-induced by light.
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Source: Phys.org