Autonomous flipping of azobenzene assemblies under light irradiation (II)

03 February 2020, Version 1
This content is a preprint and has not undergone peer review at the time of posting.

Abstract

To create autonomous microrobots which move in the presence of a constant energy source, their mechanical motion must have a capacity for self-control. This is realized when a structural change occurs with conversion of energy facilitated by cofactors, with a self-regulation component to prevent reaching a static state. Here, we present a single crystal structure analysis of azobenene derivatives which reveals a mille-feuille-like layered structure of sparse and dense layers of six independent azobenzene moieties. In this anisotropic structure, a specific azobenzene molecule acts as a reaction center for a light-to-mechanical function process. The other molecules in the crystal act as modulators. Moreover, depending on the photoisomerisation process activated by a polarized light source, different cyclic motions are observed. We clarify the mechanism by which the self-organized mechanical behavior of these azobenzene molecules is achieved at the molecular level. Thus, the present results demonstrate that autonomously driven molecular materials can exhibit information-responsive and self-sustainable motion by incorporating stimulus-responsive sensors.

Keywords

dissipative systems
limit-cycle self-oscillation
light-to-mechanical energy conversion
sensor
Microrobot
crystal design
autonomous behavior

Comments

Comments are not moderated before they are posted, but they can be removed by the site moderators if they are found to be in contravention of our Commenting Policy [opens in a new tab] - please read this policy before you post. Comments should be used for scholarly discussion of the content in question. You can find more information about how to use the commenting feature here [opens in a new tab] .
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy [opens in a new tab] and Terms of Service [opens in a new tab] apply.