Selective Optical Trapping and Deposition of Polymer and Aromatic Molecules from Binary Mixed Solution

Abstract

We have demonstrated size-selective optical trapping and deposition of polymer and aromatic molecules from binary mixed solution. As a near-infrared laser beam is tightly focused in polystyrene and perylene mixed solution and dropped on a glass substrate, a molecular assembly is deposited at the laser focus and fixed on the substrate. The fluorescence spectrum of the deposited microassembly depends on the laser power; perylene monomer fluorescence is dominant in the case of high laser power, whereas excimer emission of perylene crystal is observed in the case of low laser power. This suggests that polystyrene molecules are preferentially deposited by focusing a higher laser power so that the ratio of polystyrene and perylene in the assembly can be controlled by laser power. This mechanism can be explained in view of the molecular size selectivity in optical trapping.