Soft Crystals ‐Flexible Response Systems with High Structural Order
Masako Kato, Hajime Ito, Miki Hasegawa, Kazuyuki Ishii
Chemistry, a European Journal, 2019, 25, 20
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/chem.201805641
Abstract
A new material concept of soft crystals is proposed. Soft crystals respond to gentle stimuli such as vapor exposure and rubbing but maintain their structural order and exhibit remarkable visual changes in their shape, color, and luminescence. Various interesting examples of soft crystals are introduced in the article. By exploring the interesting formation and phase‐transition phenomena of soft crystals through interdisciplinary collaboration, new materials having both the characteristics of ordered hard crystals and those of flexible soft matter are expected.