Wu Zhen, Xiao Leping, Xu Ruoyu, Zhong Shijie, Gong Min, Wang Guojie
School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
Langmuir. 2023 Oct 3;39(39):13946-13952. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c01535. Epub 2023 Sep 22.
Studies on self-assembling systems with a controllable morphology responding to light stimulation are significant for revealing the process and mechanism of assembly. Here, a molecule of spiropyran derivative () possessing photoresponsive assembly morphology is constructed. self-assembles into irregular sheet-like structures whose morphology can be significantly transformed into regular nanospheres under continuous ultraviolet light stimulation. The UV-vis absorption spectra indicate that 56% of are isomerized from closed-ring form () to open-ring form () with color changes from colorless to magenta. Furthermore, theoretical calculations demonstrate that aggregates possess stronger van der Waals forces than do aggregates and tend to form stable intermediates combined with isomers. Therefore, the isomerization of from to and the differences in intermolecular interactions are important factors in the morphological transition. Our study provides an efficient strategy to modulate the assembled morphology, which holds great promise to be applied in the field of smart materials.
