Mechanically Elastic and Light-Induced Bending of Acylhydrazone-Based Photoswitch Crystal

Here, we report long acicular acylhydrazone crystals (Ac) derived from 4-nitro benzhydrazide and 10-chloro-9-anthraldehyde. The crystal exhibited dual mechanical responses such as stress-induced elastic and light-induced photomechanical bending. Further, the crystal exhibits excellent photoswitching and thermal reversible behavior as well. Detailed investigation revealed structure–property correlation in crystal Ac. Additionally, it has been observed that stimuli-responsive mechanical properties were unique and not interlinked with each other. With the help of the crystal engineering approach, synergistic mechanical responses can be gainfully combined toward applications in multitasking single-crystal actuators.