Lightning Bonds: Capturing Halogen Magic in the Blink of an Eye

Scientists have uncovered how the halogen bond can be exploited to direct sequential dynamics in multi-functional crystals, offering crucial insights for developing ultrafast-response times for multilevel optical storage.
Chemists have explored the role of halogen bonds in photoinduced structural changes within supramolecular systems, revealing their importance in controlling phase transitions and electronic properties. Using techniques like ultrafast electron diffraction and transient spectroscopy, they discovered a transient intermediate state that highlights the dynamic nature of these bonds in multifunctional crystals, potentially leading to applications in optical data storage