• Akamatsu, Masaaki
• Iwase, Hiroki
• Inamura, Yukihiro
• Kobayashi, Kazuki
• Sakai, Hideki
• Kasai, Satoshi
• Oh-Uchi, Keiichi
• Sakaguchi, Yoshifumi
• Morikawa, Toshiaki

Abstract

<jats:p>With the increasing importance of light-responsive materials, it is vital to analyze the relationship between function and structural changes induced by light irradiation. Small-angle scattering (SAS) is effective for such structural analysis. However, quantitatively capturing local molecular structure formation and molecular reactions at a scale of less than 1 nm via SAS is difficult. In this study, to analyze the structure of non-equilibrium phenomena in light-responsive materials, a new sample environment has been developed for a time-of-flight small- and wide-angle neutron scattering instrument (TAIKAN), comprising a UV–Vis irradiation system, UV–Vis absorption measurement equipment and photodetector. Simultaneous measurement of small-angle neutron scattering and UV–Vis absorption was achieved. This system was used to demonstrate the <jats:italic>in situ</jats:italic> observation of UV–Vis irradiation-induced structural change of micelles formed by 4-butylazobenzene-4′-(oxyethyl)trimethylammonium bromide, which is a light-responsive surfactant, in an aqueous solution. The results showed that the present measuring system provides direct information on the interplay between changes in micelle structure and changes in molecular configuration.</jats:p>

Topics

• impedance spectroscopy
• laser emission spectroscopy
• small-angle neutron scattering
• surfactant