Issue 34, 2021

Light-fueled rapid macroscopic motion of a green fluorescent organic crystal

Abstract

We report here a new green fluorescent organic crystal of an amide functionalized acrylonitrile derivative (E-ArF2) that displays various types of macroscopic response when illuminated with UV light (390 nm). The shape deformation and actuation of the E-ArF2 crystal can be controlled on-demand by shining UV-light on the specific parts of the crystal and reversing the direction of light illumination. When UV light is shone on the (001) face of a straight crystal, it rapidly bends away from the light source and can be bent to the opposite direction by reversing the illumination direction on the other face (00−1). With the aid of various analytical techniques, NMR, IR, UV-vis and X-ray diffraction, we established that the light fueled macroscopic actuation of the E-ArF2 crystal is rooted to the combined effect of E- to Z-isomerization and the [2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction in the solid state. Based on the above experimental facts, a general mechanistic model of the actuation is also proposed.

Graphical abstract: Light-fueled rapid macroscopic motion of a green fluorescent organic crystal

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
06 apr 2021
Accepted
07 may 2021
First published
07 may 2021

CrystEngComm, 2021,23, 5876-5881

Light-fueled rapid macroscopic motion of a green fluorescent organic crystal

P. Giri, A. Mazumder, D. Dey, S. Garani, A. Raveendran and M. K. Panda, CrystEngComm, 2021, 23, 5876 DOI: 10.1039/D1CE00460C

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