Convenient preparation of stimulus-responsive molecular layers containing anthracene molecules to control surface properties

Abstract For controlling the surface properties by depositing molecules on the material surface, the selection of the functional groups of the stacked molecules is crucial. By introducing anthracenes in the molecular layer, which promote photodimerization and thermal/cleavage on photoirradiation or heating, it is possible to form a stimuli-responsive surface that enables changes in the molecular layer composition. In this study, we improve the fabrication process of the stimulus-responsive molecular layer with anthracene in order to facilitate the design of molecular layers according to the desired purpose. This is achieved by employing acid-base interactions for forming the molecular layers, with different functions for each layer. Thermal/photocleavage reactions of anthracene dimers are induced in the stacked molecular layer. Multilayers stacked with amine molecules exhibit different behavior on the cleavage reaction and the contact angle varies, depending on the type of molecules. The wettability on the surface covered with the molecular layer changes in response to the stimulation, proving the successful fabrication of a stimuli-responsive surface. The designed thermo- and photoresponsive molecular layer can potentially expand the scope of practical application as a control system for surface conditions.