One-Drop Self-Assembly and Size Control of Organic Nonlinear Optical Crystal DSNS Nanowires

Abstract

In this study, we demonstrate a one-drop self-assembly method for fabricating nanowires (NWs) of organic second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) material, 4-N,N-dimethylamino-4′-N′-methyl-stilbazolium 2-naphthalenesulfonate (DSNS). By controlling the parameters of the self-assembly process, we successfully controlled the length of DSNS from a few micrometers to millimeters. The obtained NWs have very high surface quality with surface roughness < 150 pm, which is highly beneficial for fabricating integrated optical devices. DSNS NW has the same triclinic crystal structure as that of bulk crystal and exhibits excellent second-order NLO and fluorescent properties, which could provide wide opportunities for on-chip optoelectronic devices and integrated photonic systems. Furthermore, the one-drop self-assembly method only requires reagents in microgram quantities, and thus this method is extremely environmentally friendly.