Capturing ultrafast molecular motions and lattice dynamics in spin crossover film using femtosecond diffraction methods.

ABSTRACT: A comprehensive insight into ultrafast dynamics of photo-switchable materials is desired for efficient control of material properties through light excitation. Here, we study a polycrystalline spin crossover thin film as a prototypical example and reveal the sequential photo-switching dynamics, from local molecular rearrangement to global lattice deformation. On the earliest femtosecond timescale, the local molecular structural rearrangement occurs within a constant unit-cell volume through a two-step process, involving initial Fe-ligand bond elongation followed by ligand rotation. The highly-oriented structure of the nanocrystalline films and the experimental geometry enables resolving the full anisotropic lattice structural dynamics in and out of the sample plane separately. While both m

SUBMITTER: Vinci D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11868369 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature