Mechanophotonics: Flexible Single‐Crystal Organic Waveguides and Circuits

Abstract

We present the one-dimensional optical-waveguiding crystal dithieno[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine with ah igh aspect ratio,high mechanical flexibility,and selective self-absorbance of the blue part of its fluorescence (FL). While macrocrystals exhibit elasticity,m icrocrystals deposited at ag lass surface behave more like plastic crystals due to significant surface adherence,m aking them suitable for constructing photonic circuits via micromechanical operation with an atomic-forcemicroscopyc antilever tip.T he flexible crystalline waveguides displayoptical-path-dependent FL signals at the output termini in both straight and bent configurations,m aking them appropriate for wavelength-division multiplexing technologies. Ar econfigurable 2 2-directional coupler fabricated via micromanipulation by combining two arc-shaped crystals splits the optical signal via evanescent coupling and delivers the signals at two output terminals with different splitting ratios. The presented mechanical micromanipulation technique could also be effectively extended to other flexible crystals.

Self‐Waveguide Single‐Benzene Organic Crystal with Ultralow‐Temperature Elasticity as a Potential Flexible Material

“…[26,33] Recently, Chandrasekar, Naumov, Ghosh, and Reddy further expanded the utility of "crystal flexibility" to organic optoelectronic microcircuits. [37,38] The crystal presented in this study combining intense emission and wide temperature range (À196-170 8C) elasticity provides us a chance to test the flexible selfwaveguide for application in extreme environments. To validate this possibility, an experiment was designed as shown in Figure 5 a-c. A tinfoil boat with wideness about 0.5 cm was made, and then a single crystal with length of about 2.0 cm was put into the boat to form a half loop attached the boat wall.…”

Organic Single Crystal/Polymer Hybrid Actuator with Waveguide, Low Temperature, and Humidity Actuation Properties

“…Polymers have excellent advantages, including light weight, good processability, and diverse stimuli methods, and have been widely used in actuator research . Organic crystals have the characteristics of easy modification and characterization of molecular structure and excellent luminescence properties, showing tremendous potential for applications in optical waveguides, − photonic technology, , lasers, − OLEDs, and so forth. However, the hard and brittle properties of crystalline materials often limit their application .…”

Multistimuli-Responsive Dynamic Effects in a One-Dimensional Coordination Polymer

“…However, developing such materials needs careful integration of active functionalities that can respond to different external stimuli. In quest of developing mechanical actuators, researchers have explicitly studied photosalient effects [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] , thermosalient effects 15,[33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45] and mechanical flexibility 1,5,13,46 in molecular crystals by employing light, heat, and mechanical force, respectively. To date, examples of dual stimuli actuating properties in single crystals are limited.…”