Water‐Triggered Domino‐Like Phase Transition in a Molecular Ferroelectric

ABSTRACT Domino‐like phase transitions offer a powerful route to propagate structural changes through local stimuli, yet their coupling with ferroelectricity in molecular materials has remained elusive. Here we show that water enables a domino‐like phase transition in the hybrid copper halide Gua 3 Cu 2 I 5 (Gua + = CN 3 H 6 + ), providing non‐thermal access to a polar molecular ferroelectric. We find that the polar α phase cannot be reached through conventional thermal pathways but instead emerges through a hierarchical transition mechanism. In this mechanism, water first induces a surface solid–liquid–solid conversion via localized dissolution and reprecipitation, which subsequently triggers an interface‐propagated domino‐like transformation from the non‐polar β phase into the ferroelectric α phase in the bulk. This process can be directly visualized through real‐time luminescence contrast and is accompanied by robust, switchable ferroelectric polarization at room temperature. By identifying water as an active mediator rather than a passive environment, our results establish a new pathway for accessing polar phases beyond thermal equilibrium and provide a conceptual framework for coupling domino‐like phase transitions with ferroelectric functionality in molecular materials.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Materials
Published
2026-06-18
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.73776
Primary Topic
Perovskite Materials and Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Water‐Triggered Domino‐Like Phase Transition in a Molecular Ferroelectric

Xiao‐Gang Chen, Yuan‐Yuan Tang, Chen‐Kai Yang, Ren‐Gen Xiong et al.
Advanced Materials
Perovskite Materials and Applications
article

Water‐Triggered Domino‐Like Phase Transition in a Molecular Ferroelectric

Xiao‐Gang Chen, Yuan‐Yuan Tang, Chen‐Kai Yang, Ren‐Gen Xiong, Huan‐Huan Chen, Yong Ai, Yao Zhang, Juanxia Wu, Xian‐Jiang Song, Bing Han, Liming Xie
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Domino‐like phase transitions offer a powerful route to propagate structural changes through local stimuli, yet their coupling with ferroelectricity in molecular materials has remained elusive. Here we show that water enables a domino‐like phase transition in the hybrid copper halide Gua 3 Cu 2 I 5 (Gua + = CN 3 H 6 + ), providing non‐thermal access to a polar molecular ferroelectric. We find that the polar α phase cannot be reached through conventional thermal pathways but instead emerges through a hierarchical transition mechanism. In this mechanism, water first induces a surface solid–liquid–solid conversion via localized dissolution and reprecipitation, which subsequently triggers an interface‐propagated domino‐like transformation from the non‐polar β phase into the ferroelectric α phase in the bulk. This process can be directly visualized through real‐time luminescence contrast and is accompanied by robust, switchable ferroelectric polarization at room temperature. By identifying water as an active mediator rather than a passive environment, our results establish a new pathway for accessing polar phases beyond thermal equilibrium and provide a conceptual framework for coupling domino‐like phase transitions with ferroelectric functionality in molecular materials.

Advanced Materials
Nanchang University (CN), National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (CN), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
Clean water and sanitation
Openalex Percentile: Top 11%
Perovskite Materials and Applications
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.