Laser Trapping and Crystallization Dynamics of l‑Phenylalanine at Solution Surface
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Abstract
We present laser trapping behavior of l-phenylalanine
(l-Phe) at a surface of its unsaturated aqueous solution
by a focused continuous-wave (CW) near-infrared (NIR) laser beam.
Upon the irradiation into the solution surface, laser trapping of
the liquid-like clusters is induced concurrently with local laser
heating, forming an anhydrous plate-like crystal at the focal spot.
The following laser irradiation into a central part of the plate-like
crystal leads to laser trapping at the crystal surface not only for l-Phe molecules/clusters but also for polystyrene (PS) particles.
The particles are closely packed at crystal edges despite that the
crystal surface is not illuminated by the laser directly. The molecules/clusters
are also gathered and adsorbed to the crystal surface, leading to
crystal growth. The trapping dynamics and mechanism are discussed
in view of optical potential formed at the crystal surface by light
propagation inside the crystal