Plastic bending in a semiconducting coordination polymer crystal enabled by delamination

Lian-Cai An, Xiang Li, Zhi-Gang Li, Qite Li, Patrick J. Beldon, Fei-Fei Gao, Zi-Ying Li, Shengli Zhu, Lu Di, Sanchuan Zhao, Jian Zhu, Davide Comboni, Ilya Kupenko, Wei Li (), U. Ramamurty () and Xian-He Bu ()
Additional contact information
Lian-Cai An: Nankai University
Xiang Li: University of Münster
Zhi-Gang Li: Nankai University
Qite Li: Tianjin University
Patrick J. Beldon: North East Technology Park
Fei-Fei Gao: Nankai University
Zi-Ying Li: Nankai University
Shengli Zhu: Tianjin University
Lu Di: Nankai University
Sanchuan Zhao: Nankai University
Jian Zhu: Nankai University
Davide Comboni: 71 avenue des Martyrs
Ilya Kupenko: University of Münster
Wei Li: Nankai University
U. Ramamurty: Nanyang Technological University
Xian-He Bu: Nankai University

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Coordination polymers (CPs) are a class of crystalline solids that are considered brittle, due to the dominance of directional coordination bonding, which limits their utility in flexible electronics and wearable devices. Hence, engineering plasticity into functional CPs is of great importance. Here, we report plastic bending of a semiconducting CP crystal, Cu-Trz (Trz = 1,2,3-triazolate), that originates from delamination facilitated by the discrete bonding interactions along different crystallographic directions in the lattice. The coexistence of strong coordination bonds and weak supramolecular interactions, together with the unique molecular packing, are the structural features that enable the mechanical flexibility and anisotropic response. The spatially resolved analysis of short-range molecular forces reveals that the strong coordination bonds, and the adaptive C–H···π and Cu···Cu interactions, synergistically lead to the delamination of the local structures and consequently the associated mechanical bending. The proposed delamination mechanism offers a versatile tool for designing the plasticity of CPs and other molecular crystals.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34351-0

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