Laser-Induced Artificial Defects (LIADs): Towards the Control of the Spatiotemporal Dynamics in Spin Transition Materials (Adv. Mater. 18/2012)
Résumé
The image shows a snapshot of the propagation of the phase boundary during the spin transition in a single crystal of a ferrous spin‐crossover complex. A micrometric surface‐relief defect was laser‐ablated in the middle of the crystal by G. Molnár, A. Bousseksou, and coworkers, in order to manipulate the spatiotemporal dynamics of the spin transition. This type of ‘domain engineering’ opens up novel perspectives for the investigation of phase transitions and also for their technological applications, as described on page 2475.