SHG-active molecular nanorods with intermediate photochromic properties compared to solution and bulk solid states

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Photochemistry

Background:

• Photochromic molecules are crucial for optical switching applications.
• Controlling the morphology of photochromic materials influences their properties.
• N-(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)-4-aminopyridine (DBSAP) is a known photochromic molecule.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a convenient protocol for fabricating well-defined nanorods of DBSAP.
• To investigate the photochromic properties and second-harmonic generation (SHG) activity of DBSAP nanorods.
• To compare the photochromic behavior of DBSAP nanorods with its solution and solid states.

Main Methods:

• Laser ablation method for nanorod fabrication.
• Optical switching experiments to demonstrate photochromism.
• Fatigue resistance testing.
• Second-harmonic generation (SHG) measurements.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated well-defined nanorods of DBSAP.
• Demonstrated reversible and fatigue-resistant optical switching in DBSAP nanorods.
• Observed that DBSAP nanorods exhibit intermediate photochromic properties compared to solution and solid states.
• Confirmed SHG activity in the fabricated nanorods.

Conclusions:

• Laser ablation is an effective method for creating DBSAP nanorods with controlled morphology.
• DBSAP nanorods possess advantageous photochromic properties, including reversibility and fatigue resistance.
• The intermediate photochromic behavior of nanorods offers potential for novel optical applications.