The world of exotic crystals: Raman spectro-microscopy for probing local structure

Abstract

In this article, we review briefly the recent progress on mechanically responsive molecular crystals which defy the common perception that “crystals are rigid”. Crystals which respond to different external stimuli are emerging fast and may find applications in miniature technologies, sensors, flexible devices, and soft-robotics. Here, we present some early examples of molecular crystals from our group, along with other examples of our choice, to emphasize on the use of Raman spectromicroscopy technique for characterizing crystals, polymorphic forms and strained crystals in the context of structure- property correlation and crystal engineering.