Control of photoreaction of amphiphilic spiropyran/n-alkane Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films using the phase transition of n-alkane.

The structures and photoreactions of Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of an amphiphilic spiropyran, 1',3'-dihydro-3',3'-dimethyl-6-nitro-1'-octadecyl-8-(docosanoyloxymethyl)spiro[2H-1-benzopyran-2,2'-(2H)-indole] (SP), mixed with n-alkane are investigated. The mixing ratio was fixed at 1/2 for SP/n-alkane. The surface pressure-area isotherms of SP/octadecane are categorized into two regimes: a low-temperature regime where octadecane is packed with the alkyl chains of SP, and a high-temperature regime where the addition of octadecane does not influence the isotherms significantly. The temperature dividing the two regimes is related with the melting point of the n-alkane mixed with SP in the bulk. UV irradiation of the Langmuir film in the high-temperature regime gives rise to light-induced J-aggregation, whereas that in the low-temperature regime causes only the isomerization of SP to the corresponding merocyanine, indicating that J-aggregation is hindered by the presence of n-alkane in the low-temperature regime. IR external reflection spectroscopy of the Langmuir films shows that n-alkane is released from the film during J-aggregation. The structural changes of the mixed Langmuir and LB films during J-aggregation are almost the same with those of the films of pure SP.