Photocontrollable Self-Assembly

Photoisomerization and thermal isomerization of arylazoimidazoles

Photoisomerization and thermal isomerization behaviors of an extensive series of arylazoimidazoles are investigated. Absorption spectra are characterized by a structured pipi* absorption band around 330-400 nm with a tail on the lower energy side extending to 500 nm corresponding to an npi* transition. The trans-to-cis photoisomerization occurs on excitation into these absorption bands. The quantum yields are dependent on the excitation wavelength, as observed for azobenzene derivatives, but are generally larger than those of azobenzene. The thermal cis-to-trans isomerization rates are also generally larger than that of azobenzene and are comparable to those of 4-N,N-dimethylaminoazobenzene and 4-nitroazobenzene. Arylazoimidazoles with no substituent on the imidazole nitrogen are unique in that the quantum yield for the trans-to-cis photoisomerization and the rate of thermal cis-to-trans isomerization are particularly large. It is proposed that the fast thermal isomerization is due to an involvement of self-catalyzed and protic molecule-assisted tautomerization to a hydrazone form.

Biologically active molecules with a "light switch"

Biologically active compounds which are light-responsive offer experimental possibilities which are otherwise very difficult to achieve. Since light can be manipulated very precisely, for example, with lasers and microscopes rapid jumps in concentration of the active form of molecules are possible with exact control of the area, time, and dosage. The development of such strategies started in the 1970s. This review summarizes new developments of the last five years and deals with "small molecules", proteins, and nucleic acids which can either be irreversibly activated with light (these compounds are referred to as "caged compounds") or reversibly switched between an active and an inactive state.

Morphology-tunable and photoresponsive properties in a self-assembled two-component gel system

Photoresponsive C3-symmetrical trisurea self-assembling building blocks containing three azobenzene groups (LC10 and LC4) at the rim were designed and synthesized. By introducing a trisamide gelator (G18), which can self-aggregate through hydrogen bonds of acylamino moieties to form a fibrous network, the mixture of LC10 (or LC4) and G18 forms an organogel with coral-like supramolecular structure from 1,4-dioxane. The cooperation of hydrogen bonding and the hydrophobic diversity between these components are the main contributions to the specific superstructure. The two-component gel exhibits reversible photoisomerization from trans to cis transition without breakage of the gel state.

Photoresponsive porphyrin-imprinted polymers prepared using a novel functional monomer having diaminopyridine and azobenzene moieties

A novel photoresponsive functional monomer bearing diaminopyridine and azobenzene moieties was synthesized and applied to the preparation of photo-regulated molecularly imprinted polymers, which can recognize porphyrin derivatives through hydrogen bonding. The binding affinity of the imprinted cavities was regulated by UV irradiation, suggesting that azobenzene groups located inside the binding sites worked as photosensitizers and the trans-cis isomerization could regulate the affinity for the target compounds. Repetitive binding of the target compound to trans-IP and cis-IP was directly monitored by slab optical waveguide spectroscopy and the photo-mediated regulation of binding affinity was successfully confirmed.

Three-Dimensional Six-Connecting Organic Building Blocks Based on Polychlorotriphenylmethyl Units—Synthesis, Self-Assembly, and Magnetic Properties

The synthesis of a three-dimensional, six-connecting, organic building block based on a robust, rigid, and open-shell polychlorotriphenylmethyl (PTM) unit (radical 1) is reported, and its self-assembly properties are described in detail. The tendencies of this highly polar molecule and its hydrogenated precursor, compound 4, to form hydrogen bonds with oxygenated solvents ([1THF(6)] and [4THF(6)]) were reduced by replacing THF with diethyl ether in the crystallization process to yield two-dimensional (2D) hydrogen-bonded structures ([1(Et(2)O)(3)] and [4(Et(2)O)(3)]). The presence of direct hydrogen bonds between the radicals in the latter phase of 1 gives rise to very weak ferromagnetic intermolecular interactions at low temperatures, whereas when the radicals are isolated by THF molecules these interactions are antiferromagnetic and very weak. The role played by the carboxylic groups not only in the self-assembly properties but also in the transmission of the magnetic interactions has been illustrated by determination of the crystal structure and measurement of the magnetic properties of the corresponding hexaester radical 6, in which the close packing of molecular units gives rise to weak antiferromagnetic intermolecular interactions. Attempts to avoid solvation of the molecules in the solid state and to increase the structural and magnetic dimensionality were pursued by recrystallization of both compounds 1 and 4 from concentrated nitric acid, affording two three-dimensional (3D) robust hydrogen-bonded structures. While the structure obtained with compound 4 is characterized by the presence of polar channels and boxes containing water guest molecules along the c axis, radical 1 was oxidized to the corresponding fuchsone 10, which presented a completely different close-packed, guest-free structure.

Reversible Thermal and Photochemical Switching of Liquid Crystalline Phases and Luminescence in Diphenylbutadiene-Based Mesogenic Dimers

The synthesis and study of the photo- and thermoresponsive behavior of a series of novel asymmetric mesogenic dimers, consisting of a cholesterol moiety linked to a diphenylbutadiene chromophore via flexible alkyl chains are reported. These mesogenic dimers possess the combined glass forming properties of the cholesterol moiety and the photochromic and luminescent properties of the butadiene moiety. Photoinduced cis/trans isomerization of the butadiene chromophore in these materials could be utilized to bring about an isothermal phase transition from the smectic to the cholesteric state. By photochemically controlling the cis/trans isomer ratio, the pitch of the cholesteric could be continuously varied making it possible to tune the color of the film over the entire visible region, and the color images thus generated could be stabilized by converting them to N* glasses. These materials were also polymorphic, exhibiting two crystalline forms possessing distinctly different fluorescence properties. The ability to thermally switch these materials from one crystalline form to the other in a reversible manner also makes them useful for recording fluorescent images.

Self-Assembly of Photochromic Diarylethenes with Amphiphilic Side Chains: Reversible Thermal and Photochemical Control

Diarylethene derivatives with hexaethylene glycol side chains were synthesized and their self-assembling and photochromic reactivity were investigated. The diarylethenes showed photochromism in organic solvents and even in water. The aqueous solution of the compounds turned turbid quickly upon heating. The clouding behavior was investigated using 1H NMR spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and absorption spectroscopy. It was revealed that, in the aqueous solution, the compounds self-assembled into aggregates, and the aggregates were loosened by raising the temperature. The cloud-point temperature of the closed-ring isomer was 5-7 degrees C lower than that of the open-ring isomer. When asymmetric methyl groups were introduced in the amphiphilic side chains, induced circular dichroism (ICD) was observed upon irradiation with UV light in water. This ICD was explained by the difference in the self-assembling behavior between the open- and the closed-ring isomers. It was suggested that the closed-ring isomers assembled into a chiral nanostructure.

Photoresponsive Self-Assembly and Self-Organization of Hydrogen-Bonded Supramolecular Tapes

Self-assembling building blocks that are readily functionalizable and capable of achieving programmed hierarchical organization have enabled us to create various functional nanomaterials. We have previously demonstrated that N,N'-disubstituted 4,6-diaminopyrimidin-2(1 H)-one (DAP), a guanine-cytosine hybridized molecule, is a versatile building block for the creation of tapelike supramolecular polymer species in solution. In the current study, DAP was functionalized with azobenzene side chains. 1H NMR, UV/Vis, and dynamic light scattering studies confirmed the presence of nanometer-scale tapelike supramolecular polymers in alkane solvents at micromolar regimes. At higher concentrations (millimolar regimes), the supramolecular polymers hierarchically organized into lamellar superstructures to form organogels, as shown by X-ray diffraction and polarized optical microscopy. Remarkably, the azobenzene side chains are photoisomerizable even in the supramolecular polymers, owing to their loosely packed state supported by the rigid hydrogen-bonded scaffold, enabling us to establish photocontrollable supramolecular polymerization and higher order organization of the tapelike supramolecular polymers into lamellar superstructures.

Artificial Molecular Motors Powered by Light

The bottom-up construction and operation of machines and motors of molecular size is a topic of great interest in nanoscience, and a fascinating challenge of nanotechnology. The problem of the energy supply to make molecular motors work is of the greatest importance. Research in the last ten years has demonstrated that light energy can indeed be used to power artificial nanomotors by exploiting photochemical processes in appropriately designed systems. More recently, it has become clear that under many aspects light is the best choice to power molecular motors; for example, systems that show autonomous operation and do not generate waste products can be obtained. This review is intended to discuss the design principles at the basis of light-driven artificial nanomotors, and provide an up-to-date overview on the prototype systems that have been developed.

Melamine-barbiturate/cyanurate binary organogels possessing rigid azobenzene-tether moiety

Binary organogels were prepared from coaggregates of azobenzene-tethered melamine dimer and cyanurate/barbiturates. In the gels of hydrocarbon liquids, the coaggregates formed heavily entangled nanofibers, morphologies of which are dramatically different from the previously reported coaggregates based on flexible dodecamethylene-tethered melamine dimers. In the present systems, the rigidity of the azobenzene tether may induce regular packing of molecules. In addition, UV-vis and IR spectroscopic measurements provided unequivocal evidence for the contribution of the central amide groups and the azobenzene chromophores in the tether moiety upon forming well-defined nanofibers by hydrogen-bonding and face-to-face (H-type) pi-pi stacking interactions, respectively. As a result of tight molecular packing in the self-assembled nanofibers, the azobenzene moiety in the gel state showed remarkable resistance to trans --> cis isomerization upon irradiation with UV light.

From cyclopentanone oximes to bis[1,2,3]dithiazolo-s-indacenes, cyclopenta[c][1,2]thiazine, pentathiepino-, tetrathiino-, and thienocyclopenta[1,2,3]dithiazoles as a rich source of new materials

[Structure: see text]. The 1,5- and 1,7-s-hydrindacenedione dioximes reacted with S2Cl2 and iBu3N to give the first examples of bis[1,2,3]dithiazolo-s-indacenes; one of them was a near-infrared dye. In contrast, the silylated bicyclo[3.3.0]octan-2,6-dione dioxime reacted with S2Cl2 and Et3N to give a bicyclic 4-cyanoethylcyclopenta[1,2,3]dithiazole or, after addition of Li2S, a tricyclic 4-cyanoethyl-5,6-pentathiepinocyclopenta[1,2,3]dithiazole, also obtained from 2-cyanoethylcyclopentanone oxime, S2Cl2, and Hünig's base. In related reactions, 2-oxocyclopentylpropionate oxime gave the expected cyclopenta[1,2,3]dithiazole, in addition to an unexpected cyclopenta[c][1,2]thiazine that showed a reversible reduction wave in its CV at -0.95 V. Ethyl 2-oxocyclopentanecarboxylate oxime reacted with S2Cl2, Hünig's base, and Li2S to give a 5,6-tetrathiinocyclopenta[1,2,3]dithiazole derivative. Cyclopentathiophen-4-one oximes reacted with S2Cl2 and iBu3N to give thienocyclopenta[1,2,3]dithiazoles that showed UV-vis spectral bands that depended on the positions of the ring fusion.

Preorganizing Linear (Self-Complementary) Quadruple Hydrogen-Bonding Arrays Using Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonding as the Sole Force

[structures: see text] In this article we describe a rational approach for prefixing multiple cooperative binding sites in an ideal spatial arrangement on a structurally rigid backbone, constrained exclusively by intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The idea is exemplified by the ability of the self-assembling constructs 1a-e and 2a,b to form hydrogen-bonded dimers, whose structural preorganization has been solely effected by intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The readily accessible amidinourea backbone has been used as a common platform for the construction of a variety of such self-assembling systems. ESI mass spectrometry and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies have been particularly effective in investigating the self-assembling propensities of these systems. Remarkably, most the H-bonded dimers reported herein undergo an unusual mode of self-assembly, using intermolecular four-membered ring hydrogen-bonded interaction, affording extended supramolecular networks.