Journal
NATURE CHEMISTRY
Volume 14, Issue 5, Pages 574-+Publisher
NATURE PORTFOLIO
DOI: 10.1038/s41557-022-00909-0
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Funding
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Canada [RGPIN-2019-05661, RGPIN-2017-06467]
- Discovery Accelerator award [RGPAS 507837-17]
- Government of Canada
- Vanier Graduate Fellowship
- Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship
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Cold photo-carving using low-power visible light enabled by halogen-bonded co-crystals allows for selective disassembly of materials, leading to three-dimensional shaping.
The formation of co-crystals by the assembly of molecules with complementary molecular recognition functionalities is a popular strategy to design or improve a range of solid-state properties, including those relevant for pharmaceuticals, photo- or thermoresponsive materials and organic electronics. Here, we report halogen-bonded co-crystals of a fluorinated azobenzene derivative with a volatile component-either dioxane or pyrazine-that can be cut, carved or engraved with low-power visible light. This cold photo-carving process is enabled by the co-crystallization of a light-absorbing azo dye with a volatile component, which gives rise to materials that can be selectively disassembled with micrometre precision using low-power, non-burning laser irradiation or a commercial confocal microscope. The ability to shape co-crystals in three dimensions using laser powers of 0.5-20 mW-substantially lower than those used for metals, ceramics or polymers-is rationalized by photo-carving that targets the disruption of weak supramolecular interactions, rather than the covalent bonds or ionic structures targeted by conventional laser beam or focused ion beam machining processes.
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