Photoreversible Viscosity Changes and Gelation in Mixtures of Hydrophobically Modified Polyelectrolytes and Photosensitive Surfactants

Light, Matter, Action: Shining Light on Active Matter

Light carries energy and momentum. It can therefore alter the motion of objects on the atomic to astronomical scales. Being widely available, readily controllable, and broadly biocompatible, light is also an ideal tool to propel microscopic particles, drive them out of thermodynamic equilibrium, and make them active. Thus, light-driven particles have become a recent focus of research in the field of soft active matter. In this Perspective, we discuss recent advances in the control of soft active matter with light, which has mainly been achieved using light intensity. We also highlight some first attempts to utilize light's additional properties, such as its wavelength, polarization, and momentum. We then argue that fully exploiting light with all of its properties will play a critical role in increasing the level of control over the actuation of active matter as well as the flow of light itself through it. This enabling step will advance the design of soft active matter systems, their functionalities, and their transfer toward technological applications.

Micelle kinetics of photoswitchable surfactants: Self-assembly pathways and relaxation mechanisms

HYPOTHESIS

A key question in the kinetics of surfactant self-assembly is whether exchange of unimers or fusion/fission of entire micelles is the dominant pathway. In this study, an isomerizable surfactant is used to explore fundamental out-of-equilibrium kinetics and mechanisms for growth and dissolution of micelles.

EXPERIMENTS

The kinetics of cationic surfactant 4-butyl-4'-(3-trimethylammoniumpropoxy)-phenylazobenzene was studied using molecular dynamics simulations. The fusion and exchange processes were investigated using umbrella sampling. Equilibrium states were validated by comparison with small-angle X-ray scattering data. The photo-isomerization event was simulated by modifying the torsion potential of the photo-responsive group to emulate the trans-to-cis transition.

FINDINGS

Micelle growth is dominated by unimer exchange processes, whereas, depending on the conditions, dissolution can occur both through fission and unimer expulsion. Fusion barriers increase steeply with the aggregation number making this an unlikely pathway to equilibrium for micelles of sizes that fit with the experimental data. The barriers for unimer expulsion remain constant and are much lower for unimer insertion, making exchange more likely at high aggregation. When simulating photo-conversion events, both fission and a large degree of unimer expulsion can occur depending on the extent of the out-of-equilibrium stress that is put on the system.

Environment tolerant, adaptable and stretchable organohydrogels: preparation, optimization, and applications

Multiple stretchable materials have been successively developed and applied to wearable devices, soft robotics, and tissue engineering. Organohydrogels are currently being widely studied and formed by dispersing immiscible hydrophilic/hydrophobic polymer networks or only hydrophilic polymer networks in an organic/water solvent system. In particular, they can not only inherit and carry forward the merits of hydrogels, but also have some unique advantageous features, such as anti-freezing and water retention abilities, solvent resistance, adjustable surface wettability, and shape memory effect, which are conducive to the wide environmental adaptability and intelligent applications. This review first summarizes the structure, preparation strategy, and unique advantages of the reported organohydrogels. Furthermore, organohydrogels can be optimized for electro-mechanical properties or endowed with various functionalities by adding or modifying various functional components owing to their modifiability. Correspondingly, different optimization strategies, mechanisms, and advanced developments are described in detail, mainly involving the mechanical properties, conductivity, adhesion, self-healing properties, and antibacterial properties of organohydrogels. Moreover, the applications of organohydrogels in flexible sensors, energy storage devices, nanogenerators, and biomedicine have been summarized, confirming their unlimited potential in future development. Finally, the existing challenges and future prospects of organohydrogels are provided.

Self-Assembly of Photoresponsive Molecular Amphiphiles in Aqueous Media

Amphiphilic molecules, comprising hydrophobic and hydrophilic moieties and the intrinsic propensity to self-assemble in aqueous environment, sustain a fascinating spectrum of structures and functions ranging from biological membranes to ordinary soap. Facing the challenge to design responsive, adaptive, and out-of-equilibrium systems in water, the incorporation of photoresponsive motifs in amphiphilic molecular structures offers ample opportunity to design supramolecular systems that enables functional responses in water in a non-invasive way using light. Here, we discuss the design of photoresponsive molecular amphiphiles, their self-assembled structures in aqueous media and at air-water interfaces, and various approaches to arrive at adaptive and dynamic functions in isotropic and anisotropic systems, including motion at the air-water interface, foam formation, reversible nanoscale assembly, and artificial muscle function. Controlling the delicate interplay of structural design, self-assembling conditions and external stimuli, these responsive amphiphiles open several avenues towards application such as soft adaptive materials, controlled delivery or soft actuators, bridging a gap between artificial and natural dynamic systems.

A single-component photorheological fluid with light-responsive viscosity

Viscoelastic fluids whose rheological properties are tunable with light have the potential to deliver significant impact in fields relying on a change in flow behavior, such as in-use tuning of combined efficient heat-transfer and drag-reduction agents, microfluidic flow and controlled encapsulation and release. However, simple, single-component systems must be developed to allow integration with these applications. Here, we report a single-component viscoelastic fluid, capable of a dramatic light-sensitive rheological response, from a neutral azobenzene photosurfactant, 4-hexyl-4'butyloxymonotetraethylene glycol (C₆AzoOC₄E₄) in water. From cryo-transmission electron microscopy (TEM), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and rheology measurements, we observe that the photosurfactant forms an entangled network of wormlike micelles in water, with a high viscosity (28 Pa s) and viscoelastic behaviour. UV irradiation of the surfactant solution creates a less dense micellar network, with some vesicle formation. As a result, the solution viscosity is reduced by four orders of magnitude (to 1.2 × 10^-3 Pa s). This process is reversible and the high and low viscosity states can be cycled several times, through alternating UV and blue light irradiation.

Reversible control of enzyme-inhibitor interactions with light illumination using a photoresponsive surfactant

The effects of a photoresponsive surfactant and light illumination on the complex formed between ribonuclease A (RNase A) and a protein ribonuclease inhibitor (RI) have been investigated to develop a light-based technique to reactivate an enzyme through surfactant-induced dissociation of the enzyme-inhibitor complex. The photoresponsive surfactant undergoes a photoisomerization from the relatively hydrophobic trans isomer under visible light to the relatively hydrophilic cis isomer upon UV illumination, providing a means to reversibly control protein-inhibitor interactions. In the absence of surfactant, RI binds tightly to RNase A through noncovalent interactions, which inhibits the enzyme activity. Upon addition of the surfactant under visible light, RNase A is reactivated, regaining ~75% of the native activity in the absence of RI. In the presence of the surfactant under UV light, however, the enzyme remains inhibited. Fluorescence spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and circular dichroism spectroscopy reveal that RI dramatically unfolds upon addition of the trans form of the surfactant, while RNase A does not undergo noticeable structural changes under the same conditions. This indicates that RNase A reactivation occurs through dissociation of the enzyme-inhibitor complex arising from surfactant-induced unfolding of the inhibitor. As a result, photoresponsive surfactant and light illumination can be used as a novel light-based technique to dissociate enzyme-inhibitor complexes and, thus, reactivate an inhibited enzyme.

Added-Value Surfactants

Surfactants are ubiquitous in cellular membranes, detergents or as emulsification agents. Due to their amphiphilic properties, they cannot only mediate between two domains of very different solvent compatibility like water and organic but also show fascinating self-assembly features resulting in micelles, vesicles, or lyotropic liquid crystals. The current review article highlights some approaches towards the next generation surfactants, for example, those with catalytically active heads. Furthermore, it is shown that amphiphilic properties can be obtained beyond the classical hydrophobic-hydrophilic interplay, for instance with surfactants containing one molecular block with a special shape. Whereas, classical surfactants are static, researchers have become more interested in species that are able to change their properties depending on external triggers. The article discusses examples for surfactants sensitive to chemical (e.g., pH value) or physical triggers (temperature, electric and magnetic fields).

Unlocking Structure-Self-Assembly Relationships in Cationic Azobenzene Photosurfactants

Azobenzene photosurfactants are light-responsive amphiphiles that have garnered significant attention for diverse applications including delivery and sorting systems, phase transfer catalysis, and foam drainage. The azobenzene chromophore changes both its polarity and conformation (trans-cis isomerization) in response to UV light, while the amphiphilic structure drives self-assembly. Detailed understanding of the inherent relationship between the molecular structure, physicochemical behavior, and micellar arrangement of azobenzene photosurfactants is critical to their usefulness. Here, we investigate the key structure-function-assembly relationships in the popular cationic alkylazobenzene trimethylammonium bromide (AzoTAB) family of photosurfactants. We show that subtle changes in the surfactant structure (alkyl tail, spacer length) can lead to large variations in the critical micelle concentration, particularly in response to light, as determined by surface tensiometry and dynamic light scattering. Small-angle neutron scattering studies also reveal the formation of more diverse micellar aggregate structures (ellipsoids, cylinders, spheres) than predicted based on simple packing parameters. The results suggest that whereas the azobenzene core resides in the effective hydrophobic segment in the trans-isomer, it forms part of the effective hydrophilic segment in the cis-isomer because of the dramatic conformational and polarity changes induced by photoisomerization. The extent of this shift in the hydrophobic-hydrophilic balance is determined by the separation between the azobenzene core and the polar head group in the molecular structure. Our findings show that judicious design of the AzoTAB structure enables selective tailoring of the surfactant properties in response to light, such that they can be exploited and controlled in a reliable fashion.

Synthesis and Characterization of Photosensitive Ionic Liquid Surfactant 4-Butylazobenzene-4′-(Oxyethyl)Methylimidazolium with Br− and BF4− Counterions

The photo-responsive ionic liquid surfactants 4-Butylazobenzene-4′-(oxyethyl)methylimidazolium with Br− (AZMIMBr) and BF4− (AZMIMBF4) counterions were synthesized, and their structures were characterized by means of 1H NMR. Their properties for pre- or post-UV irradiation were investigated by employing tensiometry, electrical conductance, thermal gravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The effect of UV irradiation time on photoisomerization of two surfactants solutions was evaluated, which showed the photoisomerization efficiency decreases with an increase of their concentrations. After UV irradiation, the CMC value of the two surfactants increased, whereas, the surface tensions at CMC (γCMC) and the fraction of counterion binding (β) were approximately the same. SAXS coupled with polarized optical microscopic studies (POM studies) confirmed that the liquid crystal textures of AZMIMBr could be affected by UV-irradiation. The detailed analysis of thermodynamic parameters revealed that the micellizaton of AZMIMBr was entropy-driven, and the micellization of AZMIMBF4 was enthalpy-driven.

Feedback control of photoresponsive fluid interfaces

Photoresponsive surfactants provide a unique microfluidic driving mechanism. Since they switch between two molecular shapes under illumination and thereby affect surface tension of fluid interfaces, Marangoni flow along the interface occurs. To describe the dynamics of the surfactant mixture at a planar interface, we formulate diffusion-advection-reaction equations for both surfactant densities. They also include adsorption from and desorption into the neighboring fluids and photoisomerization by light. We then study how the interface responds when illuminated by spots of light. Switching on a single light spot, the density of the switched surfactant spreads in time and assumes an exponentially decaying profile in steady state. Simultaneously, the induced radial Marangoni flow reverses its flow direction from inward to outward. We use this feature to set up specific feedback rules, which couple the advection velocities sensed at the light spots to their intensities. As a result two neighboring spots switch on and off alternately. Extending the feedback rule to light spots arranged on the vertices of regular polygons, we observe periodic switching patterns for even-sided polygons, where two sets of next-nearest neighbors alternate with each other. A triangle and pentagon also show regular oscillations, while heptagon and nonagon exhibit irregular oscillations due to frustration. While our findings are specific to the chosen set of parameters, they show how complex patterns at photoresponsive fluid interfaces emerge from simple feedback coupling.

A gemini surfactant-containing system with abundant self-assembly morphology and rheological behaviors tunable by photoinduction

The photoisomerization of OMCA affects the degree of OMCA participation in the formation of mixed micelles and results in the transformation of micellar morphologies.

Photoresponsive Self-Assembly of Surface Active Ionic Liquid

A novel photoresponsive surface active ionic liquid (SAIL) 1-(4-methyl azobenzene)-3-tetradecylimidazolium bromide ([C14mimAzo]Br) with azobenzene located in the headgroup was designed. Reversible vesicle formation and rupture can be finely controlled by photostimuli without any additives in the aqueous solution of the single-tailed ionic liquid. The photoisomerization of the azobenzene derivative was investigated by (1)H NMR and UV-vis spectroscopy. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further demonstrate that trans-[C14mimAzo]Br has less negative interaction energy, which is beneficial to aggregate formation in water. The incorporation of trans-azobenzene group increases the hydrophobicity of the headgroup and reduces the electrostatic repulsion by delocalization of charge, which are beneficial to the formation of vesicles. However, the bend of cis-azobenzene makes the cis-isomers have no ability to accumulate tightly, which induces the rupture of vesicles. Our work paves a convenient way to achieve controlled topologies and self-assembly of single SAIL.

Light-Directed Self-Assembly of Robust Alginate Gels at Precise Locations in Microfluidic Channels

Recently there has been much interest in using light to activate self-assembly of molecules in a fluid, leading to gelation. The advantage of light over other stimuli lies in its spatial selectivity, i.e., its ability to be directed at a precise location, which could be particularly useful in microfluidic applications. However, existing light-responsive fluids are not suitable for these purposes since they do not convert into sufficiently strong gels that can withstand shear. Here, we address this deficiency by developing a new light-responsive system based on the well-known polysaccharide, alginate. The fluid is composed entirely of commercially available components: alginate, a photoacid generator (PAG), and a chelated complex of divalent strontium (Sr(2+)) cations. Upon exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, the PAG dissociates to release H(+) ions, which in turn induce the release of free Sr(2+) from the chelate. The Sr(2+) ions self-assemble with the alginate chains to give a stiff gel with an elastic modulus ∼2000 Pa and a yield stress ∼400 Pa (this gel is strong enough to be picked up and held by one's fingers). The above fluid is sent through a network of microchannels and a short segment of a specific channel is exposed to UV light. At that point, the fluid is locally transformed into a strong gel in a few minutes, and the resulting gel blocks the flow through that channel while other channels remain open. When the UV light is removed, the gel is gradually diluted by the flow and the channel reopens. We have thus demonstrated a remote-controlled fluidic valve that can be closed by shining light and reopened when the light is removed. In addition, we also show that light-induced gelation of our alginate fluid can be used to deposit biocompatible payloads at specific addresses within a microchannel.

Photoinduced and Thermal Relaxation in Surface-Grafted Azobenzene-Based Monolayers: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study

Extensive atomistic molecular dynamics simulations have been employed to study the structure and molecular orientational relaxation of azobenzene-based monolayers grafted to a solid substrate. Systems with surface coverage of 0.6 nm(2)/molecule were investigated over a wide temperature range ranging from 298 K, where the mesogens show local ordering and the monolayer dynamics was found to be glassy, up to 700 K, where the azobenzene groups have a nearly isotropic orientational distribution, with a subnanosecond characteristic orientational relaxation time scale. Biased simulations that model single-molecule thermal excitation and conformational isomerization have been conducted to obtain insight into the mechanisms for photoinduced athermal fluidization and monolayer reorganization observed experimentally in this system. Our simulations clearly indicate that trans-cis conformational isomerization transitions of azobenzene units can lead to reorientation of mesogens and to the formation of a monolayer with strong macroscopic in-plane nematic order. While local heating created by excitation process can facilitate this process, thermal excitation alone is not sufficient to induce ordering in the monolayer. Instead, the work done by a molecule undergoing cis-trans isomerization on the cage of neighboring molecules is the key mechanism for photofluidization and orientational ordering in dMR monolayers exposed to linearly polarized light leading to relaxation dynamics that can be described in terms of higher effective temperature. The obtained simulation results are discussed in light of recent experimental data reported for these systems.

A light responsive two-component supramolecular hydrogel: a sensitive platform for the fabrication of humidity sensors

The supramolecular assembly of anionic azobenzene dicarboxylate and cationic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) formed a stimuli responsive hydrogel with a critical gelation concentration (CGC) of 0.33 wt%. This self-sustainable two-component system was able to repair damage upon light irradiation. Moreover, it was successfully employed in the fabrication of highly sensitive humidity sensors for the first time.

Active droplet generation in microfluidics

The reliable generation of micron-sized droplets is an important process for various applications in droplet-based microfluidics. The generated droplets work as a self-contained reaction platform in droplet-based lab-on-a-chip systems. With the maturity of this platform technology, sophisticated and delicate control of the droplet generation process is needed to address increasingly complex applications. This review presents the state of the art of active droplet generation concepts, which are categorized according to the nature of the induced energy. At the liquid/liquid interface, an energy imbalance leads to instability and droplet breakup.

In situ formation of multiple stimuli-responsive poly[(methyl vinyl ether)-alt-(maleic acid)]-based supramolecular hydrogels by inclusion complexation between cyclodextrin and azobenzene

Stimuli-responsive poly[(methyl vinyl ether)-alt-(maleic acid)]-based supramolecular hydrogels were prepared in situ by inclusion complexation between cyclodextrin and azobenzene. They may have high potential in biomedical applications.

Photosensitive surfactants: micellization and interaction with DNA

Recently, photosensitive surfactants have re-attracted considerable attention. It has been shown that their association with oppositely charged biologically important polyelectrolytes, such as DNA or microgels, can be efficiently manipulated simply by light exposure. In this article, we investigate the self-assembly of photosensitive surfactants as well as their interactions with DNA by calorimetric and spectroscopic methods. Critical micelle concentration (CMC), standard micellization enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs energy were determined in different conditions (ionic strengths and temperatures) for a series of cationic surfactants with an azobenzene group in their tail. It is shown, that aggregation forces of photosensitive units play an important role in the micellization giving the major contribution to the micellization enthalpy. The onset of the aggregation can be traced from shift of the absorption peak position in the UV-visible spectrum. Titration UV-visible spectroscopy is used as an alternative, simple, and sensitive approach to estimate CMC. The titration UV-visible spectroscopy was also employed to investigate interactions (CAC: critical aggregation concentration, precipitation, and colloidal stabilization) in the DNA-surfactant complex.

Wormlike micelles with photoresponsive viscoelastic behavior formed by surface active ionic liquid/azobenzene derivative mixed solution

The UV-light-stimulated self-assembly behavior of a surface active ionic liquid (SAIL), 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide (C16mimBr), with an azobenzene derivative, sodium azobenzene 4-carboxylate (AzoCOONa), was investigated in aqueous solution. The properties and structures of the aggregates, formed at a concentration ratio equal to 2:1 ([C16mimBr]:[AzoCOONa]), were comprehensively characterized by rheometer and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. Initially, viscoelastic wormlike micelles with a viscosity of 0.65 Pa·s were constructed in the C16mimBr/AzoCOONa system. Upon irradiation by UV light (365 nm), particularly fascinating is that the wormlike micelles become much longer and more entangled, exhibiting a high viscosity of 6.9 Pa·s. This can be attributed to photoisomerization of the AzoCOONa molecule from trans to cis form. It is the first time that, with exposure to UV or visible light, the aggregate type of the photoresponsive system has remained unchanged, with only a change of internal property parameters. The cation-π interaction prevailing over the hydrophobic interaction and electrostatic interaction between C16mimBr and AzoCOONa molecules is supposed to be responsible for this peculiar phase behavior. The wormlike micelles constructed with the SAIL and photosensitive additive exhibit controllable viscoelastic behavior in the photoresponsive process. In addition, the average contour length of wormlike micelles was found to slightly decrease with the increase of temperature. We expect this system will receive particular attention due to its unique properties and potential applications in drug delivery, biochemistry, and materials science, etc.

Reversible photorheological lyotropic liquid crystals

We describe novel lyotropic liquid-crystalline (LLC) materials based on photoresponsive amphiphiles that exhibit rapid photoswitchable rheological properties of unprecedented magnitude between solidlike and liquidlike states. This was achieved through the synthesis of a novel azobenzene-containing surfactant (azo-surfactant) that actuates the transition between different LLC forms depending on illumination conditions. Initially, the azo-surfactant/water mixtures formed highly ordered and viscous LLC phases at 20-55 wt % water content. Spectroscopic, microscopic, and rheological analysis confirmed that UV irradiation induced the trans to cis isomerization of the azo-surfactant, leading to the disruption of the ordered LLC phases and a dramatic, rapid decrease in the viscosity and modulus resulting in a 3 orders of magnitude change from a solid (20,000 Pa) to a liquid (50 Pa) at rate of 13,500 Pa/s. Subsequent exposure to visible light reverses the transition, returning the viscosity essentially to its initial state. Such large, rapid, and reversible changes in rheological properties within this LLC system may open a door to new applications for photorheological fluids.

Photo-induced transformation from wormlike to spherical micelles based on pyrrolidinium ionic liquids

A UV-induced self-assembly based on N-methyl-N-cetylpyrrolidinium bromide (C16MPBr) and sodium (4-phenylazo-phenoxy)-acetate (AzoNa) was fabricated in the present work through facile mixing of C16MPBr and trans-AzoNa in water. Due to the trans-cis photoisomerization functionality of the AzoNa, this self-assembly possesses photo-responsive properties. Under ambient conditions, the morphology of the self-assembly was wormlike micelles with a high viscosity of about 10 Pa s, whereas after applying UV light, the self-assembly transformed into spherical micelles with a dramatically lowered viscosity of about 0.01 Pa s. Different from most reported photo-responsive wormlike micelles consisting of conventional cationic surfactant CTAB, our system was constructed from a novel pyrrolidinium ionic liquid. We hope this study may provide a deeper understanding of photo-responsive wormlike micelles constructed by cationic surfactants and photo-sensitive additives in water.

Reversible Performance of Dodecyl Tetramethyl Guanidine Solution Induced by CO2 Trigger

Dodecyl tetramethyl guanidine (DTMG) were synthesized and characterized, and its reversible performance was studied. The results showed that DTMG could form bicarbonate ionic adduct after exposed to CO2, so it could be used as CO2 switchable surfactants. By bubbling CO2 through DTMG solution or heating CO2 saturated DTMG solution, the alkali and surface active properties of solution was changed reversibly. Emulsion and foam stabilized by DTMG could be controlled between stable and unstable state by CO2. In addition, the state of DTMG solution was easy to be distinguished by naked eye through a simple indicator, phenolphthalein. Pink indicated it was inactive, and colorless indicated it was active.

Photo-actuation of liquids for light-driven microfluidics: state of the art and perspectives

Using light to control liquid motion is a new paradigm for the actuation of microfluidic systems. We review here the different principles and strategies to induce or control liquid motion using light, which includes the use of radiation pressure, optical tweezers, light-induced wettability gradients, the thermocapillary effect, photosensitive surfactants, the chromocapillary effect, optoelectrowetting, photocontrolled electroosmotic flows and optical dielectrophoresis. We analyze the performance of these approaches to control using light many kinds of microfluidic operations involving discrete pL- to μL-sized droplets (generation, driving, mixing, reaction, sorting) or fluid flows in microchannels (valve operation, injection, pumping, flow rate control). We show that a complete toolbox is now available to control microfluidic systems by light. We finally discuss the perspectives of digital optofluidics as well as microfluidics based on all optical fluidic chips and optically reconfigurable devices.

Biological stimuli and biomolecules in the assembly and manipulation of nanoscale polymeric particles

Living systems are replete with complex, stimuli-responsive nanoscale materials and molecular self-assemblies. There is an ever increasing and intense interest within the chemical sciences to understand, mimic and interface with these biological systems utilizing synthetic and/or semi-synthetic tools. Our aim in this review is to give perspective on this emerging field of research by highlighting examples of polymeric nanoparticles and micelles that are prepared utilizing biopolymers together with synthetic polymers for the purpose of developing nanomaterials capable of interacting and responding to biologically relevant stimuli. It is expected that with the merging of evolved biological molecules with synthetic materials, will come the ability to prepare complex, functional devices. A variety of applications will become accessible including self-healing materials, self-replicating systems, biodiagnostic tools, drug targeting materials and autonomous, adaptive sensors. Most importantly, the success of this type of strategy will impact how biomolecules are stabilized and incorporated into synthetic devices and at the same time, will influence how synthetic materials are utilized within biomedical applications.

Amphiphilic azopolymers capable to generate photo-sensitive micelles

Amphiphilic macromolecular micelles are advantageous for drug delivery applications due to the decrease of side-effects, ease of screening drugs against degradation, long-term stability, targeted delivery and control of the amount of the released drug. A series of amphiphilic azo-polymers having a flexible or rigid main-chain were synthesized and characterized. The presence of chlorobenzyl side-groups allowed both the easy bonding of photo-sensitive or hydrophilic groups and good control of the degree of substitution. The chemical structure was confirmed by 1H-NMR. The critical concentration of aggregation (CCA) was calculated using the fluorescence emission spectrum of pyrene. The interest was focused on a preliminary study concerning the disaggregation capacity of micelles under UV irradiation. The presence of micellar aggregates was confirmed by DLS and SEM and different organization of the amphiphilic polymers was evidenced depending on polymers concentration and polymers structure. In low polymer concentrations in water predominantly globular aggregates were formed. The increase in concentration increased the polydispersity index due to the fusion of micelles and formation of associates of globular aggregates, inter-micellar associates (clusters) and vesicles.

Photoresponsive hydrogels for biomedical applications

Hydrogels are soft materials composed of a three-dimensional network which contain a high percentage of water similar to body tissue and are therefore regarded as a biocompatible material. Hydrogels have various potential applications in the biomedical field such as drug delivery and as scaffold for tissue engineering. Control over the physical properties of a hydrogel by an external stimulus is highly desirable and is therefore actively studied. Light is a particularly interesting stimulus to manipulate the properties of a hydrogel as it is a remote stimulus that can be controlled spatially and temporally with great ease and convenience. Therefore in recent years photoresponsive hydrogels have been investigated as an emerging biomaterial. Here we will review recent developments and discuss these new materials, and their applications in the biomedical field.

Redox-responsive self-healing materials formed from host-guest polymers

Expanding the useful lifespan of materials is becoming highly desirable, and self-healing and self-repairing materials may become valuable commodities. The formation of supramolecular materials through host-guest interactions is a powerful method to create non-conventional materials. Here we report the formation of supramolecular hydrogels and their redox-responsive and self-healing properties due to host-guest interactions. We employ cyclodextrin (CD) as a host molecule because it is environmentally benign and has diverse applications. A transparent supramolecular hydrogel quickly forms upon mixing poly(acrylic acid) (pAA) possessing β-CD as a host polymer with pAA possessing ferrocene as a guest polymer. Redox stimuli induce a sol-gel phase transition in the supramolecular hydrogel and can control self-healing properties such as re-adhesion between cut surfaces.