Smart Photonic Materials, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, Korkeakoulunkatu 3, FI-33720, Tampere, Finland.
Photochem Photobiol Sci. 2022 Oct;21(10):1719-1734. doi: 10.1007/s43630-022-00262-8. Epub 2022 Jul 27.
Azobenzenes have many faces. They are well-known as dyes, but most of all, azobenzenes are versatile photoswitchable molecules with powerful photochemical properties. Azobenzene photochemistry has been extensively studied for decades, but only relatively recently research has taken a steer towards applications, ranging from photonics and robotics to photobiology. In this perspective, after an overview of the recent trends in the molecular design of azobenzenes, we highlight three research areas where the azobenzene photoswitches may bring about promising technological innovations: chemical sensing, organic transistors, and cell signaling. Ingenious molecular designs have enabled versatile control of azobenzene photochemical properties, which has in turn facilitated the development of chemical sensors and photoswitchable organic transistors. Finally, the power of azobenzenes in biology is exemplified by vision restoration and photactivation of neural signaling. Although the selected examples reveal only some of the faces of azobenzenes, we expect the fields presented to develop rapidly in the near future, and that azobenzenes will play a central role in this development.
偶氮苯有很多用途。它们是众所周知的染料，但最重要的是，偶氮苯是一种用途广泛的光致变色分子，具有强大的光化学性质。几十年来，偶氮苯光化学已经得到了广泛的研究，但直到最近，研究才开始转向应用，从光子学和机器人技术到光生物学。在这篇观点文章中，在概述了偶氮苯分子设计的最新趋势之后，我们强调了偶氮苯光开关可能带来有前景的技术创新的三个研究领域：化学传感、有机晶体管和细胞信号转导。巧妙的分子设计实现了对偶氮苯光化学性质的多功能控制，从而促进了化学传感器和光致可切换有机晶体管的发展。最后，偶氮苯在生物学中的作用体现在视力恢复和神经信号的光激活上。虽然所选的例子只揭示了偶氮苯的一些用途，但我们预计所呈现的领域将在不久的将来迅速发展，并且偶氮苯将在这一发展中发挥核心作用。
