A light touch
Researchers at the European Graphene Flagship have designed a molecule that can reversibly undergo chemical transformations when illuminated with light.
This molecule – a photoswitchable spiropyran– can be anchored to the surface of materials such as graphene or molybdenum disulfide. When illuminated, the whole structure changes structural rearrangement, which could be visualised by scanning tunnelling microscopy.
It can also induce large changes in the electrical properties of the hybrid devices potentially opening the door to high-performance opto-electronic devices. The work is published in Nature Communications.
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