Pance Naumov, of NYU Abu Dhabi, will deliver a seminar entitled, "Dynamic Molecular Crystals: The Bigger Picture." Hosted by Marcus Weck.
For more information about Pance Naumov, click here.
Abstract: Mechanically reconfigurable molecular crystals—ordered materials that can adapt to variable operating and environmental conditions by deformation, whereby they attain motility or perform work—are quickly shaping up a new research direction in materials science, crystal adaptronics. Properties such as elasticity, superelasticity and ferroelasticity that are normally related to inorganic materials, and phenomena such as shape-memory and self-healing effects which are well established for soft materials, are increasingly reported for molecular crystals. Yet, their mechanism, quantification, and relation to the crystal structure in organic crystals are not immediately intelligible to the chemistry and materials science research communities. This lecture will provide a condensed topical overview of the elastic, plastic, salient, superelastic and explosive molecular crystals, emerging new classes of materials that bridge the gap between the soft matter and inorganic materials. The occurrence of these unconventional properties, the underlying structural features, and the global performance indices that are essential to assess their potentials for applications will be discussed with prominent recent examples.