Organic crystals twist, bend, and heal

Crystals are brittle and inelastic? A novel class of smart, bendable crystalline organic materials has challenged this view. Now, scientists have engineered a molecular soft cocrystalline structure that bends and twists reversibly and without disintegration when stimulated by high temperature, mechanical force, or under UV light. This multifunctional quality makes it a robust candidate for advanced molecular electronics and other new materials.