A three-component supramolecular hybrid system based on host-guest recognition and electrostatic interaction has been developed for a consecutive chiral transfer from an alpha-cyclodextrin to cationic dyes via the bridge of a new azobenzene-grafted Anderson-type polyoxometalate cluster.

This review is devoted to the microscopic mechanism behind photoinduced deformations in side-chain azobenzene polymers. We present the analysis of selected experiments that allows us to propose main criteria for a proper choice of the light induced force. Particularly, we provide convincing evidence that, contrary to a well-spread belief, light induced softening is a very weak accompanying effe...

The reaction of meta- and para-bromomethylene-azobenzenes with 1-methyl-imidazole yields the respective meta-/para-functionalized azobenzenes tagged with an imidazolium group. Similar reactions of ortho- and para-bromo-azobenzene with imidazole and successive quaternation with benzylbromide give the analogues, with an imidazolium group in ortho/para substituted azobenzenes. With the exception o...

Metal-organic frameworks offer tremendous potential for efficient separation of molecular mixtures. Different pore sizes and suitable functionalizations of the framework allow for an adjustment of the static selectivity. Here we report membranes which offer dynamic control of the selectivity by remote signals, thus enabling a continuous adjustment of the permeate flux. This is realized by assem...

An understanding of the photoisomerization mechanism of molecules bound to a metal surface at the molecular scale is required for designing photoswitches at surfaces. It has remained a challenge to correlate the surface structure and isomerization of photoswitches at ambient conditions. Herein, the photoisomerization of a self-assembled monolayer of azobenzene-thiol molecules on a Au surface wa...

A base-catalyzed cycloisomerization of 5-cyano-pentyne bearing a terminal alkyne group has been developed under metal-free conditions. This reaction involves a tandem process providing efficient access to 3-cyano-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrroles in good to excellent yields in an atom-economic manner with 1,3-cyano migration as the key transformation.

The revived interest in halogen bonding as a tool in pharmaceutical cocrystals and drug design has indicated that cyano-halogen interactions could play an important role. The crystal structures of four closely related δ-keto esters, which differ only in the substitution at a single C atom (by H, OMe, Cl and Br), are compared, namely ethyl 2-cyano-5-oxo-5-phenyl-3-(piperidin-1-yl)pent-2-enoate, ...

The fabrication of rewriteable liquid crystal (LC) cells using high-damage-threshold photoswitchable azobenzene materials has been investigated as a route to all-optical active beam shapers. Beam shapers are used to modulate the intensity profile of OMEGA EP's petawatt-peak-power laser beams. All-optical photoswitchable beam shapers would allow intensity profile tailoring to occur at higher-flu...

Hyperbranched poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)s (HBPNIPAMs) end-capped with different azobenzene chromophores (HBPNIPAM-Azo-OC3H7, HBPNIPAM-Azo-OCH3, HBPNIPAM-Azo, and HBPNIPAM-Azo-COOH) were successfully synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of N-isopropylacrylamide using different azobenzene-functional initiators. All HBPNIPAMs showed a similar highly branched structure, simil...

We studied Langmuir and Langmuir–Blodgett monolayers from amphiphiles with traditional (carboxylic) and bulky functionalized (epoxy) terminal groups at the air–water and air–solid interfaces. We demonstrated that the molecules with a central azobenzene fragment and carboxylic (AA-1 molecule) and bulky epoxy (AE-1 molecule) polar groups formed orthorhombic unit cells with larger than expected ar...