Microwires and microtwists from X-shaped conjugated molecules as low-loss, long distance photo waveguide materials

Single crystalline microwires and polycrystalline microtwists were self-assembled from X-shaped conjugated molecules through solution process in high yield. The excellent long-range optical waveguide ability and efficient light transfer between wires made the as-prepared microwires potential building blocks for complex optical devices at micrometer scale. By slight structural change, well-dispersed polycrystalline microtwists were also successfully obtained. We further demonstrated that such chiral structures could also be used as optical waveguiding materials. The investigation of photo waveguide property in the well-dispersed single microtwist is the first demonstration of chiral microstructures in the application of optical waveguide, which opens the possibility of coupling the chirality of material to that of light. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.