Researchers have successfully managed the arrangement of photochromic crystals referred to as diarylethenes.
Photomechanical materials that incorporate these photochromic crystals have the ability to reversibly alter their molecular structure when exposed to light. This innovative approach could significantly influence a variety of sectors, including semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. For the first time globally, a team from Osaka Metropolitan University has created a method for crystal patterning, proving that it is feasible to regulate the orientation of diarylethene crystals.
These diarylethene crystals not only change hue under UV light but also exhibit various shape transformations as their molecular structures alter. A team comprising graduate student Mami Isobe, lecturer Daichi Kitagawa, and Professor Seiya Kobatake concentrated on a patterning technique to manage both the position and orientation of the crystals on a substrate through the sublimation process.
The researchers crafted raised structures measuring a few microns in height and a dozen microns in width on a substrate designed in the shape of a straight line and numerals from 0 to 20. By sublimating powdered diarylethene crystals onto this substrate, they showcased their capability to direct the crystals’ orientation and fabricate tiny diarylethene crystals on the raised structures.
“We anticipate that the crystal patterning technique we have developed can be utilized in semiconductor materials and pharmaceuticals, which are organic compounds with low molecular weight, akin to diarylethene,” expressed graduate student Isobe.
Professor Kobatake added, “In order to expand the applicability of this crystal patterning method in the future, we aim to study how the size and shape of the raised structures on the substrate influence crystal growth and to provide a quantitative explanation of the principles behind the formation of these crystal patterns.”
The results of this research were published in Small Methods.
