Light is expected to heat particles up or set them in motion. However, RESOLV researchers have now proven the opposite. In aqueous solution, fluorescent carbon nanotubes move much slower once they are irradiated with light. During this process, the diffusion constant decreases with light intensity, an effect linked to direct coupling between electrons in the solid and the molecules of the liquid.
The research teams of Martina Havenith, Sebastian Kruss and Marialore Sulpizi describe the hitherto unknown phenomenon in the current edition of the prestigious science journal "Nature".