Pressure-induced superelastic behaviour of isonicotinamide.

Dynamic organic crystals have come to the fore as potential lightweight alternatives to inorganic actuators providing high weight-to-force ratios. We have observed pressure-induced superelastic behaviour in Form I of isonicotinamide. The reversible single-crystal to single-crystal transformation exhibited by the system is an important component for functioning actuators. Crucially, our observations have enabled us to propose a mechanism for the molecular movement supported by Pixel energy calculations, that may pave the way for the future design and development of functioning dynamic crystals.