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. 2023 Sep;22(9):1152-1159.
doi: 10.1038/s41563-023-01610-4. Epub 2023 Jul 27.

Photo-actuators via epitaxial growth of microcrystal arrays in polymer membranes

Wenwen Xu  1   2 , David M Sanchez  3   4   5 , Umberto Raucci  3   4   6 , Hantao Zhou  1   7 , Xinning Dong  8 , Mingqiu Hu  7 , Christopher J Bardeen  8 , Todd J Martinez  3   4 , Ryan C Hayward  9
Affiliations

Photo-actuators via epitaxial growth of microcrystal arrays in polymer membranes

Wenwen Xu et al. Nat Mater. 2023 Sep.

Abstract

Photomechanical crystals composed of three-dimensionally ordered and densely packed photochromes hold promise for high-performance photochemical actuators. However, bulk crystals with high structural ordering are severely limited in their flexibility, resulting in poor processibility and a tendency to fragment upon light exposure, while previous nano- or microcrystalline composites have lacked global alignment. Here we demonstrate a photon-fuelled macroscopic actuator consisting of diarylethene microcrystals in a polyethylene terephthalate host matrix. These microcrystals survive large deformations and show a high degree of three-dimensional ordering dictated by the anisotropic polyethylene terephthalate, which critically also has a similar stiffness. Overall, these ordered and compliant composites exhibit rapid response times, sustain a performance of over at least hundreds of cycles and generate work densities exceeding those of single crystals. Our composites represent the state-of-the-art for photochemical actuators and enable properties unattainable by single crystals, such as controllable, reversible and abrupt jumping (photosalient behaviour).

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