A [2+2] cycloaddition reaction has been observed in a number of solids. The cyclobutane ring in a photodimerized material can be cleaved into olefins by UV light and heat. The high thermal stability of the metal-organic salt K2SDC (H2SDC = 4,4'-stilbenedicarboxylic acid) has been successfully utilized to investigate the reversible cleavage of a cyclobutane ring. The two polymorphs of K2SDC unde...

We report on the impact of differently sized particles on the collapse of a Langmuir monolayer. We use an SDS-DODAB monolayer because it is known to collapse reversibly under compression and expansion cycles. Particles with diameters of 1 μm, 0.5 μm, 0.1 μm, and 20 nm are deposited on the SDS-DODAB monolayer. We find a critical particle size range of 0.1 to 0.5 μm that produces a transition fro...

Recently, phase-change materials (PCMs) have gained a lot of interest in the field of active metamaterials and plasmonics due to their switchable optical properties. In the infrared spectral range the huge contrast in the refractive index between an amorphous and a crystalline phase can be employed for nonvolatile tuning of nanoantenna or metasurface resonances. To make use of such concepts in ...