Robust Supercooled Liquid Formation Enables All-Optical Switching Between Liquid and Solid Phases of TEMPO.

ABSTRACT: Organic molecules that undergo supercooling can provide the basis for novel stimuli-responsive materials, but the number of such compounds is limited. Results in this paper show that the stable organic radical 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) can form a stable supercooled liquid (SCL). Upon melting and cooling back to room temperature, the TEMPO SCL can persist for months, even after mild physical agitation. Its high vapor pressure can enable crystal growth at remote locations within the sample container over the course of days. Optical, electron paramagnetic resonance, and birefringence measurements show no evidence of new chemical species or partially ordered phases in the supercooled liquid. TEMPO's free radical character permits absorption of visible light that can drive

SUBMITTER: Rodriguez JB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10938447 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature