A joint collaborative paper between the Chemistry departments of University of Hyderabad (UoH) and Yokohama City University (YCU) titled, “Spatially controllable and mechanically switchable isomorphous organoferroeleastic crystal optical waveguides and networks” has been published in the prestigious Nature Communication journal.

The publication is available at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-51504-5

This joint research from UoH and YCU highlights the potential of shape-switchable organoferroelastic crystals as waveguides for applications in programmable photonic devices.

 

The precise, reversible, and diffusionless shape-switching ability of organic ferroelastic crystals, while maintaining their structural integrity, positions them as promising materials for next-generation hybrid photonic devices. The authors presented versatile bi-directional ferroelasticity and optical waveguide properties of three isomorphous, halogen-based, Schiff base organic crystals. These crystals exhibit sharp bending at multiple interfaces driven by molecular movement around the CH = N bond and subsequent 180° rotational twinning, offering controlled light path manipulation. The ferroelastic nature of these crystals allowed the construction of robust hybrid photonic structures, including Z-shaped configurations, closed-loop networks, and staircase-like hybrid optical waveguides. This study highlights the potential of shape-switchable organoferroelastic crystals as waveguides for applications in programmable photonic devices.

 

 

The first two authors Dr. Subham Ranjan and Dr. Avulu Vinod Kumar equally contributed to this work. Prof. Rajadurai Chandrasekar from University of Hyderabad supervised the photonic studies of crystals performed by Dr. A. Vinod Kumar and Prof. Satoshi Takamizawa from Yokohama City University supervised ferro-elastic crystal studies performed by Dr. S. Ranjan.

Dr. A. Vinod Kumar completed PhD under the guidance of Prof. R. Chandrasekar, and currently pursuing post-doctoral studies at Arizona State University, USA.

Prof. R. Chandrasekar thanks SERB-New Delhi (SERB-STR/2022/00011 and CRG/2023/003911) for the financial support.