Helically Twistable Cyanoacrylate Crystal with Simultaneous Photomechanical Bending

Abstract

A cyanoacrylate derivative crystal exhibits an unusual combination of one-dimensional elasticity, plasticity, and reversible hand-held twisting. Twisting induces a reversible single crystal to polycrystalline transition. The crystal also displays photomechanical bending via a cycloaddition reaction under 365 nm irradiation and thermally recovers its original state, with twisted crystals retaining both elasticity and photomechanical responsiveness, indicating potential applications in soft robotics and smart actuators.