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Azobenzene as a photoswitchable mechanophore
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Journal Article
Azobenzene as a photoswitchable mechanophore
2024
Overview
Azobenzene has been widely explored as a photoresponsive element in materials science. Although some studies have investigated the force-induced isomerization of azobenzene, the effect of force on the rupture of azobenzene has not been explored. Here we show that the light-induced structural change of azobenzene can also alter its rupture forces, making it an ideal light-responsive mechanophore. Using single-molecule force spectroscopy and ultrasonication, we found that
cis
and
trans
para
-azobenzene isomers possess contrasting mechanical properties. Dynamic force spectroscopy experiments and quantum-chemical calculations in which azobenzene regioisomers were pulled from different directions revealed that the distinct rupture forces of the two isomers are due to the pulling direction rather than the energetic difference between the two isomers. These mechanical features of azobenzene can be used to rationally control the macroscopic fracture behaviours of polymer networks by photoillumination. The use of light-induced conformational changes to alter the mechanical response of mechanophores provides an attractive way to engineer polymer networks of light-regulatable mechanical properties.
Light-induced azobenzene
cis
/
trans
isomerization has been extensively investigated, but the mechanical strength of its
cis
/
trans
structure is not well understood. Now it has been shown that
cis
azobenzene is mechanically less stable than the
trans
isomer due to its regiochemical structure, as revealed by single-molecule force spectroscopy.
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group
Subject
