title: Designing elastic organic crystals: highly flexible polyhalogenated N-benzylideneanilines.
abstract: The intermolecular interactions and structural features in crystals of seven halogenated N-benzylideneanilines (Schiff bases), all of which exhibit remarkable flexibility, were examined to identify the common packing features that are the raison d'être for the observed elasticity. The following two features, in part related, were identified as essential to obtain elastic organic crystals: 1) A multitude of weak and dispersive interactions, including halogen bonds, which may act as structural buffers for deformation through easy rupture and reformation during bending; and 2) corrugated packing patterns that would get interlocked and, in the process, prevent long-range sliding of molecular planes.
authors.affiliation: Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560 012 (India).
authors.forename: Soumyajit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: Manish Kumar
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.forename: Sourabh B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Kadambi
authors.forename: Upadrasta
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ramamurty
authors.forename: Gautam R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Desiraju
keywords: crystal engineering; elasticity; halogen bonds; mechanical properties; nanoindentation