Controlling Two‐Step Multimode Switching of Dihydroazulene Photoswitches

We present the synthesis and switching studies of systems with two photochromic dihydroazulene (DHA) units connected by a phenylene bridge at either para or meta positions, which correspond to a linear or cross‐conjugated pathway between the photochromes. According to UV/Vis absorption and NMR spectroscopic measurements, the meta‐phenylene‐bridged DHA–DHA exhibited sequential light‐induced ring openings of the two DHA units to their corresponding vinylheptafulvenes (VHFs). Initially, the VHF–DHA species was generated, and, ultimately, after continued irradiation, the VHF–VHF species. Studies in different solvents and quantum chemical calculations indicate that the excitation of DHA–VHF is no longer a local DHA excitation but a charge‐transfer transition that involves the neighboring VHF unit. For the linearly conjugated para‐phenylene‐bridged dimer, electronic communication between the two units is so efficient that the photoactivity is reduced for both the DHA–DHA and DHA–VHF species, and DHA–DHA, DHA–VHF, and VHF–VHF were all present during irradiation. In all, by changing the bridging unit, we can control the degree of stepwise photoswitching.     

Photoswitchable Smectic Liquid‐Crystalline Elastomers

Summary: We succeeded in the synthesis of azo side chain containing polysiloxanes with broad smectic C* and A phases. In these polymers the phase transition temperatures can be shifted reversibly by up to 17 °C by irradiation with UV (cis) or VIS (trans) light. Thin films of these polymers in the smectic phase (both on substrates and as free‐standing films) orient perfectly in a homeotropic manner. As a consequence, the azo chromophores do no longer absorb during a perpendicular illumination with light (dichroism). It is thus possible to crosslink these films photochemically to prepare “photoswitchable smectic LC elastomers”.

The trans‐cis isomerization in homeotropically oriented LC elastomers.     

New Star‐Shaped Metallo‐Polymeric Chromophores

The synthesis of new star‐shaped polymers, prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate with tris(dialkylaminostyryl‐2,2′‐bipyridine) zinc(II) and iron(II) metalloinitiators, is reported. Their thermal and optical (absorption and emission) properties are discussed.

Structure of the star‐shaped polymers.     

Photoswitchable Adhesives Using Azobenzene‐Containing Materials

Photoinduced reversible solid‐to‐liquid transitions of azobenzene‐containing materials can control adhesion. Photoswitchable adhesives based on azobenzene‐containing small molecules and polymers are under intense investigation. The melting points or glass transition temperatures of such azobenzene‐containing materials in trans and cis forms are above and below room temperature, respectively. Photoswitching of these materials results in reversible trans‐cis isomerization and solid‐to‐liquid transitions. The solid trans azobenzene‐containing materials have strong adhesion and the liquid cis azobenzene‐containing materials have weaker adhesion. In this Minireview, we introduce adhesives based on azobenzene‐containing small molecules and polymers. The remaining challenges and perspectives in the field of photoswitchable adhesives using azobenzene‐containing materials are also discussed.     

Photoswitchable Dissipative Two‐Dimensional Colloidal Crystals

Control over particle interactions and organization at fluid interfaces is of great importance both for fundamental studies and practical applications. Rendering these systems stimulus‐responsive is thus a desired challenge both for investigating dynamic phenomena and realizing reconfigurable materials. Here, we describe the first reversible photocontrol of two‐dimensional colloidal crystallization at the air/water interface, where millimeter‐sized assemblies of microparticles can be actuated through the dynamic adsorption/desorption behavior of a photosensitive surfactant added to the suspension. This allows us to dynamically switch the particle organization between a highly crystalline (under light) and a disordered (in the dark) phase with a fast response time (crystallization in ≈10 s, disassembly in ≈1 min). These results evidence a new kind of dissipative system where the crystalline state can be maintained only upon energy supply.     

Photoinduced Reversible Solid‐to‐Liquid Transitions for Photoswitchable Materials

Heating and cooling can induce reversible solid‐to‐liquid transitions of matter. In contrast, athermal photochemical processes can induce reversible solid‐to‐liquid transitions of some newly developed azobenzene compounds. Azobenzene is photoswitchable. UV light induces trans‐to‐cis isomerization; visible light or heat induces cis‐to‐trans isomerization. Trans and cis isomers usually have different melting points (T_m) or glass transition temperatures (T_g). If T_m or T_g of an azobenzene compound in trans and cis forms are above and below room temperature, respectively, light may induce reversible solid‐to‐liquid transitions. In this Review, we introduce azobenzene compounds that exhibit photoinduced reversible solid‐to‐liquid transitions, discuss the mechanisms and design principles, and show their potential applications in healable coatings, adhesives, transfer printing, lithography, actuators, fuels, and gas separation. Finally, we discuss remaining challenges in this field.     

Photoswitchable Hydrogel Surface Topographies by Polymerisation‐Induced Diffusion

Herein, we describe the preparation of patterned photoresponsive hydrogels by using a facile method. This polymer‐network hydrogel coating consists of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAM), cross‐linking agent tripropylene glycol diacrylate (TPGDA), and a new photochromic spiropyran monoacrylate. In a pre‐study, a linear NIPAAM copolymer (without TPGDA) that contained the spiropyran dye was synthesised, which showed relatively fast photoswitching behaviour. Subsequently, the photopolymerisation of a similar monomer mixture that included TPGDA afforded freestanding hydrogel polymer networks. The light‐induced isomerisation of protonated merocyanine into neutral spiropyran under slightly acidic conditions resulted in macroscopic changes in the hydrophilicity of the entire polymer film, that is, shrinkage of the hydrogel. The degree of shrinkage could be controlled by changing the chemical composition of the acrylate mixture. After these pre‐studies, a hydrogel film with spatially modulated cross‐link density was fabricated through polymerisation‐induced diffusion, by using a patterned photomask. The resulting smooth patterned hydrogel coating swelled in slightly acidic media and the swelling was higher in the regions with lower cross‐linking densities, thus yielding a corrugated surface. Upon exposure to visible light, the surface topography flattened again, thus showing that a hydrogel coating could be created, the topography of which could be controlled by light irradiation.     

Deep‐blue light‐emitting polyfluorenes with asymmetrical naphthylthio‐fluorene as Chromophores

A novel blue polycyclic aromatic compound 2,8‐dibromo‐14,14‐dioctyl‐14H‐benzo[b]benzo [5,6] fluoreno[1,2‐d]thiophene 9,9‐dioxide (Br₂NFSO) is designed and synthesized through multistep synthesis, and its structure is confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance. Based on synthesized polycyclic aromatic compound Br₂NFSO, a series of twisted blue light‐emitting polyfluorenes derivatives (PNFSOs) are prepared by one‐pot Suzuki polycondensation. Based on the twisted polymer molecular structure resulted from the asymmetric links of 14,14‐dioctyl‐14H‐benzo[b]benzo[5,6]fluoreno[1,2‐d]thiophene 9,9‐dioxide (NFSO) unit in copolymers and better electron transport ability of NFSO than those of the electron‐deficient dibenzothiophene‐S,S‐dioxide counterpart, the resulting polymers exhibit excellent electroluminescent spectra stability in the current densities from 100 to 800 mA cm^?2, and show blue‐shifted and narrowed electroluminescent spectra with the Commission Internationale de L′Eclairage (CIE) of (0.16, 0.07) for PNFSO5, compared to poly(9,9‐dioctylfluorene) (PFO) with the CIE of (0.18, 0.18). Moreover, the superior device performance is achieved based on PNFSO5 with the maximum luminous efficiency (LE_max) of 1.96 cd A^?1, compared with the LE_max of 0.49 cd A^?1 for PFO. The results indicate that the twisted polycyclic aromatic structure design strategy has a great potential to tuning blue emission spectrum and improving EL efficiency of blue light‐emitting polyfluorenes. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 171–182     

Charge‐Transfer Interactions in Tris‐Donor–Tris‐Acceptor Hexaarylbenzene Redox Chromophores

Symmetric‐ and asymmetric hexaarylbenzenes (HABs), each substituted with three electron‐donor triarylamine redox centers and three electron‐acceptor triarylborane redox centers, were synthesized by cobalt‐catalyzed cyclotrimerization, thereby forming compounds with six‐ and four donor–acceptor interactions, respectively. The electrochemical‐ and photophysical properties of these systems were investigated by cyclovoltammetry (CV), as well as by absorption‐ and fluorescence spectroscopy, and compared to a HAB that only contained one neighboring donor–acceptor pair. CV measurements of the asymmetric HAB show three oxidation peaks and three reduction peaks, whose peak‐separation is greatly influenced by the conducting salt, owing to ion‐pairing and shielding effects. Consequently, the peak‐separations cannot be interpreted in terms of the electronic couplings in the generated mixed‐valence species. Transient‐absorption spectra, fluorescence‐solvatochromism, and absorption spectra show that charge‐transfer states from the amine‐ to the boron centers are generated after optical excitation. The electronic donor–acceptor interactions are weak because the charge transfer has to occur predominantly through space. Moreover, the excitation energy of the localized excited charge‐transfer states can be redistributed between the aryl substituents of these multidimensional chromophores within the fluorescence lifetime (about 60 ns). This result was confirmed by steady‐state fluorescence‐anisotropy measurements, which further indicated symmetry‐breaking in the superficially symmetric HAB. Adding fluoride ions causes the boron centers to lose their accepting ability owing to complexation. Consequently, the charge‐transfer character in the donor–acceptor chromophores vanishes, as observed in both the absorption‐ and fluorescence spectra. However, the ability of the boron center as a fluoride sensor is strongly influenced by the moisture content of the solvent, possibly owing to the formation of hydrogen‐bonding interactions between water molecules and the fluoride anions.     

Synthesis and Second‐Order Nonlinearities of Chiral Prolinol‐Substituted Chromophores

A new series of thiophene‐ and furan‐containing chromophores with a chiral prolinol donor and a sulfone acceptor has been synthesized. The UV‐vis absorptions, second‐order nonlinear optical properties, and X‐ray crystal structures are described.     

Isomerization‐ and Temperature‐Jump‐Induced Dynamics of a Photoswitchable β‐Hairpin

Conformational changes in proteins and peptides can be initiated by diverse processes. This raises the question how the variation of initiation mechanisms is connected to differences in folding or unfolding processes. In this work structural dynamics of a photoswitchable β‐hairpin model peptide were initiated by two different mechanisms: temperature jump (T‐jump) and isomerization of a backbone element. In both experiments the structural changes were followed by time‐resolved IR spectroscopy in the nanosecond to microsecond range. When the photoisomerization of the azobenzene backbone switch initiated the folding reaction, pronounced absorption changes related to folding into the hairpin structure were found with a time constant of about 16 μs. In the T‐jump experiment kinetics with the same time constant were observed. For both initiation processes the reaction dynamics revealed the same strong dependence of the reaction time on temperature. The highly similar transients in the microsecond range show that the peptide dynamics induced by T‐jump and isomerization are both determined by the same mechanism and exclude a downhill‐folding process. Furthermore, the combination of the two techniques allows a detailed model for folding and unfolding to be presented: The isomerization‐induced folding process ends in a transition‐state reaction scheme, in which a high energetic barrier of 48 kJ mol^?1 separates unfolded and folded structures.     

Photoswitchable architectural polymer: Toward azo‐based polyamidoamine side‐chain dendritic polyester

A versatile approach to the synthesis of novel polyamidoamine (PAMAM) side‐chain dendritic polyester (SCDPE) possessing azobenzene motifs in the polymeric core is described and displayed reversible cis–trans (E/Z) isomerization upon exposure to UV light. A polymerization reaction was conducted in solution using ester‐terminated PAMAM dendritic diol ( 1a , G 3.5) and azobenzene dicarboxylic acid chloride in the presence of triethylamine. PAMAM dendritic diol 1a as well as SCDPE ( 1 ) were thoroughly characterized by means of IR and NMR (¹H and ¹³C) spectroscopies. The intrinsic viscosity of 1 at 36 °C in CHCl₃ was found to be 0.38 dl/g. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 4182–4188, 2001     

Quadrupolar Chromophores for Voltage Sensing and White‐Light Generation

A few‐state model predicts that spectral properties of some quadrupolar chromophores are affected by the application of static electric fields. These dyes can monitor neuronal activity (action potential), as a sensitive and versatile alternative to classical dipolar dyes and can also be used in organic LEDs: color‐tunable and/or white‐light emission is obtained by varying the working voltage (see chromaticity diagram).

     

Photoswitchable Formation of a DNA Interstrand Cross‐Link by a Coumarin‐Modified Nucleotide

A coumarin‐modified pyrimidine nucleoside ( 1 ) has been synthesized using a Cu^I‐catalyzed click reaction and incorporated into oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs). Interstrand cross‐links are produced upon irradiation of ODNs containing 1 at 350 nm. Cross‐linking occurs through a [2+2] cycloaddition reaction with the opposing thymidine, 2′‐deoxycytidine, or 2′‐deoxyadenosine. A much higher reactivity was observed with dT than dC or dA. Irradiation of the dT‐ 1 and dC‐ 1 cross‐linked products at 254 nm leads to a reversible ring‐opening reaction, while such phenomena were not observed with dA‐ 1 adducts. The reversible reaction is ultrafast and complete within 50–90 s. Consistent photoswitching behavior was observed over 6 cycles of irradiation at 350 nm and 254 nm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of photoswitchable interstrand cross‐linking formation induced by a modified pyrimidine nucleoside.     

Photoswitchable PEG‐CA hydrogels and factors that affect their photosensitivity

The photoswitching behavior of polyethylene glycol‐based hydrogels was determined by monitoring the changes in their swellability and absorption spectra upon exposure to alternating wavelengths of irradiation. Highly hydrophilic PEG‐based hydrogels were prepared by the irradiation of a cinnamylidene acetate‐terminated PEG solution (PEG‐CA). The degree of swelling of the PEG‐CA hydrogels was predictably modulated by alternating the wavelength of exposing irradiation. Exposing the PEG‐CA gels to >300 nm irradiation resulted in the decrease of their swellability, while short exposure to 254 nm led to more hydrophilic gels. That is, the physical properties of the PEG‐CA gels can be controlled by the selection of wavelength of irradiation. Interestingly, it was found that 254 nm irradiation could not only lead to the photoscission of the PEG‐CA gels, but also initiate a crosslinking reaction between PEG‐CA monomers. On the contrary, only photocrosslinking via a cyclobutane ring formation was observed under >300‐nm irradiation. Finally, the factors that could affect an efficient photoswitching behavior of the PEG‐CA gels were investigated. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1466–1476, 2000