Anisotropic bending and twisting behaviour of a twin crystal composed of a diarylethene

Abstract

The unusual photomechanical behaviour of a “twin crystal” consisting of a diarylethene derivative was investigated.

Photomechanical crystalline materials: new developments, property tuning and applications

“…77,78 In addition to conventional bending behaviors, rare photomechanical behaviors such as cracking, twisting, and peeling were discovered. [79][80][81][82] Feringa et al synthesized diarylethene (1oRR, Fig. 3a) and grew rod-shaped and thinplate crystals by recrystallization and sublimation.…”

Fabrication of Hyperbranched Photomechanical Crystals Composed of a Photochromic Diarylethene

“…The control of shape and size of diarylethene rodlike crystals can realize the desired photomechanical behaviors. [24][25][26] Bardeen et al used one of the typical approach for synthesis of nanomaterials, the topdown method using the nanoporous inorganic template, to succeed in preparing nanowire crystals of 1,2-bis(2,4-dimethyl-5phenyl-3-thienyl)perfluorocyclopentene, which show the dynamic photoinduced bending behavior. [27] Uchida et al reported that the hollow crystals of 1,2-bis(2-phenyl-5-methyl-3thiazolyl)perfluorocycloheptene prepared by the sublimation method generated the photosalient phenomena mimicking Impatients.…”

“…Diverse kinds of photomechanical behaviors such as shape distortion, [15] bending, [16–18] twisting, [19,20] explosion, [21,22] and peeling [23] are induced under the irradiation with UV light in the crystalline phase. The control of shape and size of diarylethene rodlike crystals can realize the desired photomechanical behaviors [24–26] . Bardeen et al.…”

Photomechanical effects based on a one-dimensional Zn coordination polymer crystal driven by [4 + 4] cycloaddition

“…Stimuli-responsive crystalline materials that effectively convert external energy into mechanical energy 1,2 have garnered considerable attention in recent years due to their potential advantages in various fields, such as photoswitching, 3 artificial muscles, 4 mechanical arms, 5 and soft robots. 6 It is impressive that stimuli-responsive materials are capable of translating molecular structure perturbation at the molecular level into macroscopic mechanical changes, such as bending, 7 twisting, 8 peeling, 9 fragmenting, 10 swelling, 11 rolling 12 induced by pressure, heat, light and so on. As a simple available stimulation method, light has the advantages of non-contact manner, adjustable wavelength and power, and being less environmentally affected in practical applications.…”