Journal
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
Volume 60, Issue 21, Pages 11604-11627Publisher
WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH
DOI: 10.1002/anie.202007693
Keywords
aqueous medium; photoresponsive amphiphile; responsive foam; soft material; supramolecular assembly
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Funding
- China Scholarship Council [201706790063]
- Croucher Foundation
- Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO-CW)
- European Research Council (ERC) [694345]
- Ministry of Education, Culture and Science [024.001.035]
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Amphiphilic molecules with the ability to self-assemble in aqueous environments exhibit a wide range of structures and functions. By incorporating photoresponsive motifs, these molecules can be designed to create non-invasive supramolecular systems that respond to light in water. The delicate balance between structural design, self-assembling conditions, and external stimuli allows for the development of dynamic functions in isotropic and anisotropic systems, leading to applications in soft adaptive materials and controlled delivery systems.
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.
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