Ink‐Free Reversible Optical Writing in Monolayers by Polymerization of a Trifunctional Monomer: Toward Rewritable “Molecular Paper” |
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| Authors: | Vivian Müller Tim Hungerland Milos Baljozovic Thomas Jung Nicholas D Spencer Hadi Eghlidi Payam Payamyar A Dieter Schlüter |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Zurich, Switzerland;2. Laboratory for Micro‐ and Nanotechnology, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland;3. Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland;4. Laboratory of Thermodynamics in Emerging Technologies, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland |
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| Abstract: | A Langmuir–Blodgett film consisting of a dense array of trifunctional monomers bearing three 1,8‐diazaanthracene units is polymerized at an air/water interface or after transfer on solid substrates. The transfer does not affect the excimer fluorescence of the film, indicating that the monomers' packing with their diazaanthracene units stacked face‐to‐face is retained—a prerequisite for successful polymerization. The monomer film can be polymerized in confined areas on solid substrates by UV irradiation with a confocal microscope laser. The underlying chemistry of the polymerization, a 4+4]‐cycloaddition of the diazaanthracene units, leads to disappearance of the fluorescence in the irradiated regions which enables writing into the monolayer on a µm scale—thus the term “molecular paper.” The reaction can be reversed by heating which leads to a recovery of the fluorescence and to erasing of the writing. Alternative pathways for this phenomenon are discussed and control experiments are conducted to rule them out. |
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| Keywords: | 2D polymers diazaanthracene dimerization excimer fluorescence molecular papers thermal retro‐reaction |
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