One-minute self-assembly of millimetre-long DAST crystalline microbelts via substrate-supported rapid evaporation crystallization

Abstract

We propose a substrate-supported rapid evaporation crystallization method to rapidly self-assemble microbelts of DAST, a benchmark organic NLO crystal. DAST microbelt formation depends on substrate properties and surfactant.

One-Drop Self-Assembly of Ultra-Fine Second-Order Organic Nonlinear Optical Crystal Nanowires

“…We expect that the NW formation begins with DAST NC/MC self-assembly due to the electrostatic force. For a four-molecule model, the dipole moments along the a -, b -, and c -axes in a DAST crystal lattice are 158.2 D, 141.2 D, and 121.0 D, respectively [18]. The growth along the c -axis was limited due to the configuration of the present experiment, so the NWs could only grow along the direction of the vector sum of the dipole moments of the a - and b -axes.…”

“…In this study, we develop an environmentally friendly one-drop self-assembling method for DAST NWs fabrication. We separate crystal seeds preparation and growth process by substrate-supported rapid evaporation crystallization (SSREC) [17, 18] and saturated vapor cultivation respectively. In this way, we can easily obtain ultra-fine single-crystalline DAST NWs with good NLO properties.…”

Organic Nanocrystal Fabrication Using the Process of Resonant Second-Harmonic Generation of Light

“…Quite similar structures, crystalline microbelts, though obtained differently, via substrate-supported rapid evaporation crystallization were observed in another NLO-active noncentrosymmetric organic crystal of DAST. 52 In Figure 2 d–f, we present the optical microscopic view of the DCNP microcrystal pumped with a cw laser light of 473 nm that shows laser-like luminescence amplified by multiple reflections at its edges. The lasing properties in DCNP microcrystals have indeed been reported in the work by Cyprych et al ( 53 ) The images shown in Figure 2 d–f demonstrate the potential of DCNP microcrystals becoming organic microlasers when properly pumped with an excitation light as it was experimentally and theoretically considered in the work by Bittner et al ( 54 ) for the DCM dye doped with PMMA and forming flat square cavities.…”

Light-Fueled Beating Coffee-Ring Deposition for Droplet Evaporative Crystallization

“…Droplet evaporative crystallization has been widely used for clinical diagnosis, self-assembly of sensors, and materials synthesis. − Typically, the ring-shape (also called coffee ring) deposits, uniform deposits, or condensed deposits can be formed after drying the droplets on a substrate. − The ring-shape deposition is an obstacle in the applications that require uniform or condensed deposition, like biochemical analysis, , colloidal crystal, , and inkjet printing. , To achieve uniform or condensed deposits, the key is to inhibit the pinning of the triple-phase contact line (TCL) and concentrate the solutes in a restricted area . The utilization of a hydrophobic substrate with small contact angle hysteresis is a good choice, which minimizes the pinning effect of the TCL and makes the droplet’s TCL continuously shrink toward the droplet center. , However, simple use of the hydrophobic surface may fail in some cases because this method considers only the wettability of substrates but ignores the nature of the solution and evaporation process .…”

“…1−3 Typically, the ring-shape (also called coffee ring) deposits, uniform deposits, or condensed deposits can be formed after drying the droplets on a substrate. 4−6 The ringshape deposition is an obstacle in the applications that require uniform or condensed deposition, like biochemical analysis, 7,8 colloidal crystal, 3,9 and inkjet printing. 10,11 To achieve uniform or condensed deposits, the key is to inhibit the pinning of the triple-phase contact line (TCL) and concentrate the solutes in a restricted area.…”