halogen

Researchers uncover how the halogen bond can be exploited to direct sequential dynamics in the multi-functional crystals, offering crucial insights for developing ultrafast-response times for multilevel optical storage.

Understanding the distinctive and highly directional nature of halogen bonds is crucial for crystal engineering and studying photoinduced structural deformations, which is key for the development of innovative photo-functional materials.

However, the influence of halogen bonds on the rapid photoinduced changes within supramolecular systems remains largely unexplored due to a lack of experimental techniques that can directly observe the halogen bond in action.

Furthermore, to elucidate the role of the halogen bonds in the above-mentioned photoinduced sequential dynamics, the researchers conducted quantum chemistry calculations using the ultrafast electron diffraction results.

Their analysis revealed the persistence of halogen bonds between the cation and the anion guiding the sequential dynamics.