On the propulsion mechanism of 'jumping' crystals

摘要

A crystalline metal-organic complex undergoes a polymorphic transformation upon cooling below 215 K. Depending on the cooling rate, crystals exhibit different behaviours that include breaking and "jumping". Variable temperature X-ray diffraction (XRD) and optical microscopy have been employed to analyze the anisotropic changes of the crystallographic axes and propose a mechanism by which the crystals acquire the momentum for the jump.