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Photoswitchable Merocyanine‐Amphiphiles with Programmable Self‐Assembly Times

Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: A merocyanine-based amphiphile was self-assembled into ellipsoids that can be disassembled by irradiation with visible light and reassemble in the dark after a delay of ∼70 minutes. Above a threshold concentration, the reassembly occurs when the ratio of protonated merocyanine to spiropyran reaches 7:3, suggesting both isomers are involved in the assembly. The thermal isomerization of the amphiphile when assembled (half-life ∼13 minutes) is significantly slower than that in dilute solution (half-life ∼3.6 minutes). The self-assembly behavior was confirmed by UV-vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The delay between the isomerization and the assembly processes can be tuned between minutes and hours by adding differently charged co-surfactants.
DOI: 10.1002/chem.202502399
Authors: Man Him Chak, Laura Wimberger, Bailey Richardson, Natalie E. Newman, Emma M. V. Johansson, Jake P. Violi, Anna Sokolova, Hendrick Frisch, Felix J. Rizzuto, William A. Donald, Martina H. Stenzel, Joakim Andréasson, Jonathon E. Beves
Institutions: UNSW Sydney, Queensland University of Technology, Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering, Chalmers University of Technology
Language: English
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,640
Funders: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Australian Government, Analytical Center for the Government of the Russian Federation, Australian Cancer Research Foundation, Australian Synchrotron, University of New South Wales, Australian Research Council
OpenAlex ID: W4413307501
FWCI: 1.247
Cites: 94
Cited by: 6
Related to: 10