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Ziegler K, Schlichter L, Post Y, Gröschel AH, Ravoo BJ. Photoresponsive Block Copolymer Nanostructures through Implementation of Arylazopyrazoles. ACS Macro Lett 2024; 13:1065-1071. [PMID: 39094101 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.4c00345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Responsive nanomaterials that can undergo reversible changes in morphology are interesting for the development of functional materials that interact with and respond to their environment. Amphiphilic block copolymers are well-known for their ability to create a wide range of supramolecular nanostructures in solution. Arylazopyrazoles (AAPs) are versatile molecular photoswitches, which change their configuration and hydrophobicity upon irradiation with UV light (365 nm, Z isomer, less hydrophobic) and green light (520 nm, E isomer, more hydrophobic). In this work, photoswitchable block copolymers containing arylazopyrazole tetraethylene glycol methacrylate (AAPMA) and oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (OEGMA) forming amphiphilic POEGMA-b-PAAPMA with varying block lengths are prepared by RAFT polymerization. The photochemical properties of AAP persist in the polymers. Due to their amphiphilic structure, the polymers self-assemble into supramolecular morphologies in water. Remarkably, photoisomerization results in a reversible change in the self-assembly behavior. Specifically, spherical and cylindrical micelles are observed for POEGMA33-b-PAAPMA47 when illuminated with green or UV light during assembly. Furthermore, the morphology of assembled structures can be reversibly switched by subsequent irradiation with UV and green light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Ziegler
- Organic Chemistry Institute and Center for Soft Nanoscience, University of Münster, Corrensstraße 40, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Lisa Schlichter
- Organic Chemistry Institute and Center for Soft Nanoscience, University of Münster, Corrensstraße 40, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Yorick Post
- Organic Chemistry Institute and Center for Soft Nanoscience, University of Münster, Corrensstraße 40, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - André H Gröschel
- Bavarian Center for Battery Technology (BayBatt) and Bavarian Polymer Institute (BPI), University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95448 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Bart Jan Ravoo
- Organic Chemistry Institute and Center for Soft Nanoscience, University of Münster, Corrensstraße 40, 48149 Münster, Germany
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2
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Li M, Liu M, Qi F, Lin FR, Jen AKY. Self-Assembled Monolayers for Interfacial Engineering in Solution-Processed Thin-Film Electronic Devices: Design, Fabrication, and Applications. Chem Rev 2024; 124:2138-2204. [PMID: 38421811 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Interfacial engineering has long been a vital means of improving thin-film device performance, especially for organic electronics, perovskites, and hybrid devices. It greatly facilitates the fabrication and performance of solution-processed thin-film devices, including organic field effect transistors (OFETs), organic solar cells (OSCs), perovskite solar cells (PVSCs), and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). However, due to the limitation of traditional interfacial materials, further progress of these thin-film devices is hampered particularly in terms of stability, flexibility, and sensitivity. The deadlock has gradually been broken through the development of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), which possess distinct benefits in transparency, diversity, stability, sensitivity, selectivity, and surface passivation ability. In this review, we first showed the evolution of SAMs, elucidating their working mechanisms and structure-property relationships by assessing a wide range of SAM materials reported to date. A comprehensive comparison of various SAM growth, fabrication, and characterization methods was presented to help readers interested in applying SAM to their works. Moreover, the recent progress of the SAM design and applications in mainstream thin-film electronic devices, including OFETs, OSCs, PVSCs and OLEDs, was summarized. Finally, an outlook and prospects section summarizes the major challenges for the further development of SAMs used in thin-film devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingliang Li
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China
- Hong Kong Institute for Clean Energy, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Ming Liu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China
- Hong Kong Institute for Clean Energy, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Feng Qi
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China
- Hong Kong Institute for Clean Energy, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Francis R Lin
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China
- Hong Kong Institute for Clean Energy, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Alex K-Y Jen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China
- Hong Kong Institute for Clean Energy, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China
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3
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Steinbrecher R, Zhang P, Papadakis CM, Müller-Buschbaum P, Taubert A, Laschewsky A. Boosting the photo-switchability of double-responsive water-soluble polymers by incorporating arylazopyrazole dyes. Chem Commun (Camb) 2024; 60:1747-1750. [PMID: 38247444 DOI: 10.1039/d3cc06178g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Dual thermo- and light-responsive water-soluble copolymers that respond to exclusively non-invasive triggers are obtained by functionalising poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) with arylazopyrazole side chains. The light-induced E-Z (trans-Z) photo isomerisation of these dyes provides an exceptionally effective photo-switch, which can reversibly shift the LCST-type phase transition temperatures by almost 25 K.
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Affiliation(s)
- René Steinbrecher
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Potsdam, Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
| | - Peiran Zhang
- Physics Department, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
| | - Christine M Papadakis
- Physics Department, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
| | - Peter Müller-Buschbaum
- Physics Department, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
- Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ), Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
| | - Andreas Taubert
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Potsdam, Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
| | - André Laschewsky
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Potsdam, Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
- Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
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Trân HQ, Kawano S, Thielemann RE, Tanaka K, Ravoo BJ. Calamitic Liquid Crystals for Reversible Light-Modulated Phase Regulation Based on Arylazopyrazole Photoswitches. Chemistry 2024; 30:e202302958. [PMID: 37944022 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202302958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
The design of responsive liquid crystals enables a diversity of technological applications. Especially photochromic liquid crystals gained a lot of interest in recent years due to the excellent spatiotemporal control of their phase transitions. In this work we present calamitic light responsive mesogens based on a library of arylazopyrazole photoswitches. These compounds show liquid-crystalline behavior as shown by differential scanning calorimetry, grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and polarized optical microscopy. UV-vis spectroscopy and NMR analysis confirmed the excellent photophysical properties in solution and thin film. Additionally, polarized optical microscopy studies of the pristine compounds show reversible phase transition upon irradiation with light. Moreover, as a dopant in the commercially available liquid crystal 4-cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (5CB), the temperature range was reduced to ambient temperatures while preserving the photophysical properties. Remarkably, this co-assembled system shows reversible liquid-crystalline to isotropic phase transition upon irradiation with light of different wavelengths. The spatiotemporal control of the phase transition of the liquid crystals offers opportunities in the development of optical devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoàn Quân Trân
- Organisch-Chemisches Institut and Center for Soft Nanoscience, Universität Münster, Correnstrasse 36, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Shinichiro Kawano
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Rebecca E Thielemann
- Organisch-Chemisches Institut and Center for Soft Nanoscience, Universität Münster, Correnstrasse 36, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Kentaro Tanaka
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Bart Jan Ravoo
- Organisch-Chemisches Institut and Center for Soft Nanoscience, Universität Münster, Correnstrasse 36, 48149, Münster, Germany
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Mukherjee A, Seyfried MD, Ravoo BJ. Azoheteroarene and Diazocine Molecular Photoswitches: Self-Assembly, Responsive Materials and Photopharmacology. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202304437. [PMID: 37212536 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202304437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Aromatic units tethered with an azo (-N=N-) functionality comprise a unique class of compounds, known as molecular photoswitches, exhibiting a reversible transformation between their E- and Z-isomers in response to photo-irradiation. Photoswitches have been explored extensively in the recent past to prepare dynamic self-assembled materials, optoelectronic devices, responsive biomaterials, and more. Most of such materials involve azobenzenes as the molecular photoswitch and to date, SciFinder lists more than 7000 articles and 1000 patents. Subsequently, a great deal of effort has been invested to improve the photo-isomerization efficiency and related mesoscopic properties of azobenzenes. Recently, azoheteroarenes and cyclic azobenzenes, such as arylazopyrazoles, arylazoisoxazoles, arylazopyridines, and diazocines, have emerged as second generation molecular photoswitches beyond conventional azobenzenes. These photoswitches offer distinct photoswitching behavior and responsive properties which make them highly promising candidates for multifaceted applications ranging from photoresponsive materials to photopharmacophores. In this minireview, we introduce the structural refinement and photoresponsive properties of azoheteroarenes and diazocines and summarize the state-of-the-art on utilizing these photoswitches as responsive building blocks in supramolecular assembly, material science and photopharmacology, highlighting their versatile photochemical behavior, enhanced functionality, and latest applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anurag Mukherjee
- Organisch-Chemisches Institut and Center for Soft Nanoscience (SoN), Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster Corrensstraße 36, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Maximilian D Seyfried
- Organisch-Chemisches Institut and Center for Soft Nanoscience (SoN), Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster Corrensstraße 36, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Bart Jan Ravoo
- Organisch-Chemisches Institut and Center for Soft Nanoscience (SoN), Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster Corrensstraße 36, 48149, Münster, Germany
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Arndt NB, Adolphs T, Arlinghaus HF, Heidrich B, Ravoo BJ. Arylazopyrazole-Modified Thiolactone Acrylate Copolymer Brushes for Tuneable and Photoresponsive Wettability of Glass Surfaces. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:5342-5351. [PMID: 37011284 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c03400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Photoswitches have long been employed in coatings for surfaces and substrates to harness light as a versatile stimulus to induce responsive behavior. We previously demonstrated the viability of arylazopyrazole (AAP) as a photoswitch in self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on silicon and glass surfaces for photoresponsive wetting applications. We now aim to transfer the excellent photophysical properties of AAPs to polymer brush coatings. Compared to SAMs, polymer brushes offer enhanced stability and an increase of the thickness and density of the functional organic layer. In this work, we present thiolactone acrylate copolymer brushes which can be post-modified with AAP amines as well as hydrophobic acrylates, making use of the unique chemistry of the thiolactones. This strategy enables photoresponsive wetting with a tuneable range of contact angle change on glass substrates. We show the successful synthesis of thiolactone hydroxyethyl acrylate copolymer brushes by means of surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization with the option to either prepare homogeneous brushes or to prepare micrometer-sized brush patterns by microcontact printing. The polymer brushes were analyzed by atomic force microscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion spectrometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Photoresponsive behavior imparted to the brushes by means of post-modification with AAP is monitored by UV/vis spectroscopy, and wetting behavior of homogeneous brushes is measured by static and dynamic contact angle measurements. The brushes show an average change in static contact angle of around 13° between E and Z isomer of the AAP photoswitch for at least five cycles, while the range of contact angle change can be fine-tuned between 53.5°/66.5° (E/Z) and 81.5°/94.8° (E/Z) by post-modification with hydrophobic acrylates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niklas B Arndt
- Center for Soft Nanoscience and Organic Chemistry Institute, University of Münster, Busso-Peus-Straße 10, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Thorsten Adolphs
- Center for Soft Nanoscience and Physics Institute, University of Münster, Wilhelm-Klemm-Straße 10, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Heinrich F Arlinghaus
- Center for Soft Nanoscience and Physics Institute, University of Münster, Wilhelm-Klemm-Straße 10, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Bastian Heidrich
- MEET Battery Research Center, University of Münster, Corrensstraße 46, 48149 Münster, Germany
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Münster, Corrensstraße 29, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Bart Jan Ravoo
- Center for Soft Nanoscience and Organic Chemistry Institute, University of Münster, Busso-Peus-Straße 10, 48149 Münster, Germany
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Gibalova A, Arndt NB, Burg L, Ravoo BJ. Light-Responsive Conductive Surface Coatings on the Basis of Azidomethyl-PEDOT Electropolymer Films. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:12363-12371. [PMID: 36848114 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c21995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The design of responsive coatings has gained increasing attention recently, with light-responsive interfaces receiving particular appreciation, as their surface properties can be modulated with excellent spatiotemporal control. In this article, we present light-responsive conductive coatings acquired through a copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction between electropolymerized azide-functionalized poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT-N3) and arylazopyrazole (AAP)-bearing alkynes. The UV/vis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data indicate a successful post-modification, supporting a covalent attachment of AAP moieties to PEDOT-N3. The thickness and degree of PEDOT-N3 modification are accessible by varying the amount of passed charge during electropolymerization and time of reaction, respectively, providing a degree of synthetic control over the physicochemical material properties. The produced substrates demonstrate a reversible and stable light-driven switching of photochromic properties in both "dry" and swelled states, as well as efficient electrocatalytic Z → E switching. The AAP-modified polymer substrates exhibit a light-controlled wetting behavior, demonstrating a consistently reversible switching of the static water contact angle with a difference up to 10.0° for CF3-AAP@PEDOT-N3. The results highlight the application of conducting PEDOT-N3 for the covalent immobilization of molecular switches while preserving their stimuli-responsive features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Gibalova
- Organic Chemistry Institute and Center for Soft Nanoscience, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstr. 36, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Niklas B Arndt
- Organic Chemistry Institute and Center for Soft Nanoscience, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstr. 36, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Luca Burg
- Organic Chemistry Institute and Center for Soft Nanoscience, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstr. 36, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Bart Jan Ravoo
- Organic Chemistry Institute and Center for Soft Nanoscience, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstr. 36, D-48149 Münster, Germany
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