Guest Transport in a Nonporous Organic Solid via Dynamic van der Waals Cooperativity
Jerry L. Atwood,*
Leonard J. Barbour,*
Agoston Jerga,
Brandi L. Schottel
A well-known organic host compound undergoes
single-crystal-to-single-crystal phase transitions upon guest
uptake and release. Despite a lack of porosity of the material, guest
transport through the solid occurs readily until a thermodynamically
stable structure is achieved. In order to actively facilitate this
dynamic process, the host molecules undergo significant positional
and/or orientational rearrangement. This transformation of the host
lattice is triggered by weak van der Waals interactions between the
molecular components. In order for the material to maintain its
macroscopic integrity, extensive cooperativity must exist between the
molecules throughout the crystal, such that rearrangement can occur in
a well-orchestrated fashion. We demonstrate here that even weak
dispersive forces can exert a profound influence over solid-state
dynamics.
Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Columbia,
Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
*
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
atwoodj{at}missouri.edu (J.L.A.); barbourl{at}missouri.edu
(L.J.B.)
