State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 130012, Changchun, P. R. China.
Smart Materials Lab, New York University Abu Dhabi, PO Box 129188, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Nat Commun. 2023 Jun 19;14(1):3627. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-39162-5.
The performance of any engineering material is naturally limited by its structure, and while each material suffers from one or multiple shortcomings when considered for a particular application, these can be potentially circumvented by hybridization with other materials. By combining organic crystals with MXenes as thermal absorbers and charged polymers as adhesive counter-ionic components, we propose a simple access to flexible hybrid organic crystal materials that have the ability to mechanically respond to infrared light. The ensuing hybrid organic crystals are durable, respond fast, and can be cycled between straight and deformed state repeatedly without fatigue. The point of flexure and the curvature of the crystals can be precisely controlled by modulating the position, duration, and power of thermal excitation, and this control can be extended from individual hybrid crystals to motion of ordered two-dimensional arrays of such crystals. We also demonstrate that excitation can be achieved over very long distances (>3 m). The ability to control the shape with infrared light adds to the versatility in the anticipated applications of organic crystals, most immediately in their application as thermally controllable flexible optical waveguides for signal transmission in flexible organic electronics.
任何工程材料的性能都受到其结构的限制，虽然每种材料在考虑特定应用时都会有一个或多个缺点，但通过与其他材料的杂交可以潜在地规避这些缺点。通过将有机晶体与 MXenes 作为热吸收剂和带电聚合物作为粘性反离子成分结合，我们提出了一种简单的方法来获得具有机械响应红外光能力的柔性混合有机晶体材料。由此产生的混合有机晶体具有耐用性、响应迅速的特点，并且可以在不疲劳的情况下在直线和变形状态之间反复循环。通过调节热激发的位置、持续时间和功率，可以精确控制晶体的弯曲点和曲率，这种控制可以从单个混合晶体扩展到这种晶体的二维有序阵列的运动。我们还证明了可以在非常长的距离（>3 m）上实现激发。用红外光控制形状的能力增加了有机晶体在预期应用中的多功能性，最直接的应用是作为热可控的柔性光学波导，用于柔性有机电子中的信号传输。
