Elastic Crystalline Fibers Composed of a Nickel(II) Complex

The generation of elastic crystalline fibers from a nonfibrous crystal of metal complex is demonstrated. Applying mechanical stimuli to a platelike crystal of Ni-II(salophen) [1; H(2)salophen = N,N'-bis(salicylidene)-o-phenylenediamine] resulted in this complex being transformed into crystal fibers, which could be bent into a loop and demonstrated its high elasticity. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that the transformation reflects the presence of molecular strands that are composed of a one-dimensional assembly of the slip-stacked arrangement by nearly planar Ni(salophen) molecules. The fiber flexibility was demonstrated to be lost upon the introduction of chloroform solvent molecules into the crystal lattice by recrystallization.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the generation of elastic crystalline fibers from nonfibrous crystals of metal complexes by applying mechanical stimuli to platelike crystals of Ni-II(salophen). The high elasticity of the resulting crystal fibers is attributed to the presence of molecular strands composed of slip-stacked arrangement by nearly planar Ni(salophen) molecules. However, the flexibility of these fibers is lost upon the introduction of chloroform solvent molecules into the crystal lattice during recrystallization.