Nano/Microstructure Fabrication of Functional Organic Material: Polymorphic Structure and Tunable Luminescence

Abstract

Nano/microstructure fabrication of 2-cyano-3(4-(diphenylamino)phenyl) acrylic acid (CDPA), an organic optoelectronic material, via a simple reprecipitation method produces particles with a different morphology, phase, and structure and a tailored luminescence. Spherical amorphous, diamond, and multifaceted microcrystals of CDPA were obtained by optimizing the fabrication conditions. CDPA with rod-like morphology was produced on the introduction of polymer additives to the growth solution. A polymorph of CDPA, not observed in the usual solution crystallization process, was obtained as 1D nanowires (200−400 nm (width) and 3−20 μm (length)). Powder X-ray diffraction and optical studies demonstrate the polymorphic structure of the nanowires. Scanning electron and confocal fluorescence microscopy, respectively, were used to demonstrate the different morphologies of fabricated nano/microstructures and the luminescence tuning (from 604 to 519 nm).