Photonic crystals have attracted great attention because of their potential applications in optical materials. When an optically birefringent liquid crystal is incorporated in photonic crystals, ...

ICTES (5.00 g, 20.21 mmol) was added slowly to a solution of tetraethylene glycol monomethyl ether (4.21 g, 20.21 mmol) and Et 3 N (0.10 g, 0.99 mmol) in Tetrahydrofuran (5.0 ml), at ambient ...

Schematic diagram of the self-assembly of cyclodextrin-azobenzene complexes in the dark (top of figure) and under the action of light (full figure). The circles next to the structures of the complexes ...

Researchers have developed a novel strategy to control the shapes of polymeric materials by utilizing photoresponsive molecular switches, which may evolve tractable stimuli-responsive soft materials.

Rapid bending of the platelike microcrystals (about 525 µm long) of trans-4-(dimethylamino)azobenzene takes place when the sample is irradiated with 365 nm light. The microcrystals whip forward in the ...

Probably the most efficient way to convert solar energy into electricity is the old fashioned way, heating water into steam and turning a turbine. This remains a messy affair though and you don’t ...

A light-sensitive polymer changes how it conducts heat and lithium ions by switching molecular order, revealing a path toward self-regulating materials for batteries and electronics. (Nanowerk ...

A research group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States has announced that it has developed a flexible thin-film material that can change shape when exposed to light ...

Nature employs an army of miniaturized motors in the daily function of mammalian cells. These natural nano machines can perform a variety of movements such as rotating, walking, and bending. Chemists, ...

Most living things contain a circadian clock—a signaling system that keeps the cell’s function tied to the periodicity of a 24-h cycle. Although scientists have identified many elements that regulate ...