Strain is often used to alter material properties in applications ranging from bandgap tuning
for semiconductor electronics to performing work through mechanical actuation. Spin
transitions are accompanied by volume changes in the solid state and are being explored in
actuation as a source of mechanical strain inducible by the many controllable stimuli known
to trigger spin state changes. There is still much to understand, especially at small length
scales, about how strain is transmitted from one material to another across a mechanically …