Thermosalient Phenomena in Molecular Crystals: A Case Study of Representative Molecules

Abstract

AbstractMolecular crystals have a regularly packed structure, and their physical properties often depend on intramolecular and intermolecular interactions. Here, we review the crystal jumping phenomena under a thermal stimulus (thermosalient phenomenon). Thermosalient phenomena are characterized by thermal phase transitions and anisotropic lattice expansion/contraction at a microscopic scale and jumping behavior through bending/deformation/rotation/cleavage of crystals at a macroscopic scale. The absence of strong intermolecular interaction in the crystal and the misalignment of the crystal plane associated with the phase transition are explained as factors causing the thermosalient phenomena. In this chapter, various case studies with representative molecular crystals that exhibit the thermosalient phenomenon are explained in detail.