Trans-scale crystal dynamics for controlling kinetic responses in organic molecular systems

Yuto Hino, Takumi Matsuo and Shotaro Hayashi ()
Additional contact information
Yuto Hino: Kochi University of Technology, School of Engineering Science
Takumi Matsuo: Kochi University of Technology, School of Engineering Science
Shotaro Hayashi: Kochi University of Technology, School of Engineering Science

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract The origin and control of material dynamics are fundamental to understanding functional systems from molecular assemblies to engineered devices. The ability to actively control and directly visualize rapid chemical and structural changes in a single crystal remains a major challenge in solid-state chemistry, limiting our understanding of dynamic functions in molecular materials. Here, we report an anthracene-based molecular crystal platform that enables dual physical control of solid-state [4 + 4] photocycloaddition through temperature and light. Chemically engineered 1,8-bis(pentafluorophenyl)anthracene single crystals construct photoactive face-to-face π-stacks, allowing the reaction to be induced by visible-light irradiation. The crystals exhibit thermally switchable on/off reaction states controlled by the accumulation of lattice strain accelerated by heating. Furthermore, we observe the reaction and dynamics under various light sources, including UV, white LED, laser, and sunlight, demonstrating dual controllability by heat and light. Importantly, weak light irradiation with an LED enables direct observation of intermediate states in the single crystal, revealing a correlation between lattice strain and photoconversion rate. On these bases, we identify that the reaction kinetics depend on the light propagation direction and the relative orientation of the molecular transition dipole moment, providing a new parameter for directional photodynamic control. This trans-scale approach, integrating chemical molecular packing design, photo-thermal science, and anisotropic parameters, establishes a general strategy for tunable and observable crystal dynamics.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-66447-8 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-66447-8

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-66447-8

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().