Shaping monodispersed azo molecular glass microspheres using polarized light

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optics
• Microfluidics

Background:

• Azo molecular glass (IAC-4) microspheres exhibit photoresponsive behavior.
• Precise control over microparticle shape is crucial for advanced applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the photoinduced deformation of IAC-4 microspheres under polarized laser irradiation.
• To demonstrate controllable 3D shape manipulation of microparticles.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of monodispersed IAC-4 microspheres using microfluidics.
• Irradiation with a polarized laser beam (488 nm) to induce shape changes.
• Analysis of particle morphology using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in three orthogonal views.

Main Results:

• IAC-4 microspheres transformed into uniform mushroom-like particles upon laser irradiation.
• 3D asymmetric shapes were precisely controlled by adjusting irradiation time and light polarization.
• Photoinduced deformation occurred asymmetrically on the upper part due to azo chromophore absorption.
• Deformation manner was dictated by the electric vibration direction of refracted light.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a comprehensive understanding of the 3D photoinduced deformation behavior of micron-sized azo particles.
• A novel method for controllable shape manipulation of microparticles into complex 3D architectures was developed.