Cooperative light-induced molecular movements of highly ordered azobenzene self-assembled monolayers
- 12 June 2007
- journal article
- Published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Vol. 104 (24), 9937-9942
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0703748104
Abstract
Photochromic systems can convert light energy into mechanical energy, thus they can be used as building blocks for the fabrication of prototypes of molecular devices that are based on the photomechanical effect. Hitherto a controlled photochromic switch on surfaces has been achieved either on isolated chromophores or within assemblies of randomly arranged molecules. Here we show by scanning tunneling microscopy imaging the photochemical switching of a new terminally thiolated azobiphenyl rigid rod molecule. Interestingly, the switching of entire molecular 2D crystalline domains is observed, which is ruled by the interactions between nearest neighbors. This observation of azobenzene-based systems displaying collective switching might be of interest for applications in high-density data storage.Keywords
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