Phys.org May 20, 2022
While organic crystals were previously thought to be fragile, an international team of researchers (UAE, USA – New York University) has discovered that some organic crystals are mechanically very robust. They demonstrated that the ferroelectric crystals of guanidinium nitrate exert a linear stroke of 51%, the highest value observed when transitioning at 295–305 K on heating and at 265–275 K on cooling. Their maximum force density is higher than electric cylinders, ceramic piezo actuators, and electrostatic actuators, and their work capacity is close to that of thermal actuators. They demonstrated that the material expanded and contracted over half of its length (51 percent) repeatedly, over thousands of cycles, without any deterioration. It was also able to both expand and contract at room temperature, as opposed to other materials that require a higher temperature to transform, creating higher energy costs for operation. The material can be used in applications such as soft robotics, artificial muscles, organic optics, and organic electronics…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
The I–V (current–voltage) characteristics of form I and form II GN crystals. Credit: Nature Communications volume 13, Article number: 2823 (2022)Â