Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen (NL).
Chemistry. 2014 Feb 3;20(6):1737-42. doi: 10.1002/chem.201302902. Epub 2014 Jan 16.
A new responsive material composed of an amphiphilic light-switchable dithienylethene unit functionalized with a hydrophobic cholesterol unit and a hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol)-modified pyridinium group has been designed. This unique single-molecule system shows responsive light-switchable self-assembly in both water and organic solvents. Light-triggered reversible vesicle formation in aqueous solutions is reported. The molecule shows a different behavior in apolar aromatic solvents, in which light-controlled formation of organogel fibers is observed. The light-triggered aggregation behavior of this molecule demonstrates that control of a supramolecular structure with light can be achieved in both aqueous and organic media and that this ability can be present in a single molecule. This opens the way toward the effective development of new strategies in soft nanotechnology for applications in controlled chemical release systems.
一种由具有疏水性胆固醇单元和亲水性聚（乙二醇）改性吡啶基团的双亲性光致开关二噻吩乙烯单元组成的新型响应性材料已经被设计出来。这种独特的单分子体系在水和有机溶剂中都表现出响应性的光致开关自组装。报道了在水溶液中光触发的可逆囊泡形成。该分子在非极性芳香族溶剂中表现出不同的行为，其中观察到光控形成有机凝胶纤维。该分子的光触发聚集行为表明，可以在水相和有机相介质中用光来控制超分子结构，并且这种能力可以存在于单个分子中。这为在软纳技术中开发用于控制化学释放系统的新策略开辟了道路。
