Laser triggered phase transition in photothermal liquid crystals

Reversible high temperature phase transitions were easily induced under laser irradiation in pure thermotropic liquid crystals built around photothermal nickel-bis(dithiolene) cores. The strong photothermal activity of nickel-bis(dithiolene) liquid crystalline thin films allows reaching a temperature as high as 250 °C directly from room temperature in a few seconds with high spatial control.