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anthracenecarboxylic acid and
its derivatives.[32] In these sys-
tems, changes in the shape and
size of the molecules by photo-
isomerization cause stress in the
crystal, which leads to deforma-
tion.[28d] For the crystal bending
of 1, in contrast, drastic changes
in the molecular shape and size
is not expected between the
neutral NDI and NDI radical
anion according to theoretical
calculations (see Figure S6 in the
Supporting Information).
One possible reason for this
crystal bending is the change in
the
intermolecular
distance
caused by attractive or repulsive
interactions among the NDI radi-
cal anions. As described above,
the neutral NDIs are converted
into monomeric radical anions,
mixed-valence stacks, and radi-
cal-anion stacks upon photoirra-
Figure 9. a,b) Time-dependent change in the UV/Vis/NIR spectra for spin-coated 1 under vacuum upon irradiation
at a) lmax =370 nm and b) lmax =370 nm (5 min). c) Schematic representation of the formation and the intercon-
version of the NDI radical anion, the mixed-valence stacks, and the radical-anion stacks. Conversion of the mixed-
valence stacks into monomeric radical anions by oxygen is likely to occur, but not confirmed, therefore, it is de-
picted as (O2).
ation time increased, the intensity of the absorption band due
to the mixed-valence stacks decreased, whereas the intensity
of the band due to the radical-anion stacks increased with the
isosbestic point at approximately l=1800 nm. In sharp con-
trast, the intensity of the absorption band of the radical-anion
stacks gradually decreased after discontinuation of the photoir-
radiation (Figure 9b). Along with this behavior, the intensity of
the band due to mixed-valence stacks increased with the iso-
sbestic point at approximately l=1800 nm. These observa-
tions indicate an interconversion between radical-anion stacks
and mixed-valence stacks. Oxygen, which enters the evacuated
cell, may be responsible for the conversion of radical-anion
stacks into mixed-valance stacks.
diation. Considering the bending direction of the crystal, the ir-
radiated crystal surface is expected to be elongated along the
long axis of the crystal because of an increase in the intermo-
lecular distance of the NDIs relative to the neutral NDI species.
The monomeric radical anions are expected to show electro-
static repulsion among themselves, which may cause elonga-
tion of the irradiated crystal surface due to an increase in the
intermolecular distance of the NDI p planes relative to the neu-
tral NDI species. On the other hand, according to reports on
the mixed-valence dimer[33] and the p dimer[34] of the radical
anions, the intermolecular distances in the mixed-valence
stacks and the radical-anion stacks is expected to be shorter
than in the stacks of the neutral species, which may induce
the contraction of the irradiated crystal surface. In these elec-
tronic interactions, the repulsive interaction among the mono-
meric radical anions may be predominant for the observed
crystal bending. However, more detailed investigation is neces-
sary to elucidate the mechanism of the crystal bending ob-
served here.
Photomechanical bending of NDI crystals
When a rodlike crystal of 1 was irradiated, the crystal bent
away from the light accompanied by a change in the crystal
from yellow to dark brown (Figure 10a,b). When the dark-
brown crystal was kept in the dark, the crystal became almost
straight after 48 hours along with a change from dark brown
to yellow (Figure 10c). This photoinduced crystal bending was
observed more than three times. When the crystal of 1 was ir-
radiated with red light (lmax =580 nm), no change in the crystal
shape was observed due to the weak absorption of the light
at approximately l=580 nm. This observation eliminates any
thermal effect on the crystal bending. Therefore, the crystal
bending may be attributed to the behavior of the NDI radical
anions. Similar crystal bending was observed in NDIs 2, 3, and
6 with clear color changes (see Figure S5 in the Supporting In-
formation). A photomechanical effect in crystals has been re-
ported for several photochromic molecules, such as diaryl-
ethenes,[28] azobenzene,[29] salicylideneaniline,[30] fulgide,[31] and
Conclusion
A photoinduced color change of NDIs bearing alkylamine moi-
eties has been observed in the solid state. This color change
was attributed to NDI radical-anion formation through a PET
process, and the photosensitivity of the NDIs was highly de-
pendent on the structure of the alkylamine moieties. Crystallo-
graphic analysis, kinetic analysis, and analysis of the photo-
products suggest that a NDI radical anion was formed by de-
composition of the amine moiety, which was initiated by
proton abstraction between an amine radical cation and the
neutral amine moiety in the solid state. The generated mono-
meric radical anions may form stacks including mixed-valence
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Chem. Eur. J. 2014, 20, 1 – 9
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