Switchable Phase Transition from Crystalline to Amorphous States of Cadmium Sulfate Octahydrate Single Crystals by Shock Waves

Even slight changes occurring in the lattice positions of solid materials enforced by the external forces may give rise to remarkable results in the crystallographic nature. The materials which undergo phase-change without modifying their overall chemistry are the prominent candidates to be the driving forces for the applications involving phase transitions. In the present context, the authors present and demonstrate the switchable phase transition occurring between crystalline and amorphous nature of cadmium sulfate octahydrate single crystals (3CdSO(4)center dot 8H(2)O) impacted by shock waves with which the transition is authenticated via diffraction, vibrational and optical spectroscopic techniques such as powder X-ray diffractometry, Raman and UV-Vis spectral analyses. Based on the results attained from diffraction and spectroscopic analyses, it is observed that the switchable phase transition sequence is crystalline-crystalline-amorphous-crystalline-crystalline with respect to the control, one, two, three, and four shock-wave-loaded conditions, respectively. Due to the outstanding switching behavior, the title material is strongly suggested for the applications of molecular switching and optical data storage systems.