Confinement of photopolymerization and solidification with radiation pressure

J Am Chem Soc. 2011 Sep 21;133(37):14472-5. doi: 10.1021/ja200737j. Epub 2011 Aug 30.

Abstract

Controlling chemical reactions within a small space is a significant issue in chemistry, and methods to induce reactions within a desired position have various potential applications. Here we demonstrate localized, efficient photopolymerization by radiation pressure. We induced a one-photon UV polymerization of liquid acrylate solutions in the optical-trapping potential of a focused near-IR (NIR) laser beam, leading to the confinement of solidification to a minute space with dimensions smaller or equal to one-fifth of the wavelength of the NIR laser. Our approach can produce solidification volumes smaller than those achievable with conventional one-photon polymerization, thus enabling the production of tiny polymeric structures that are smaller than the diffraction limit of the trapping light. This is the first demonstration of a radiation pressure effect on a photochemical reaction.