Photoregulative Phase Change Biomaterials Showing Thermodynamic and Mechanical Stabilities

Azobenzenes are great photochromic molecules for switching the physical properties of various materials via trans-cis isomerization. However, the UV light resulted cis-azobenzene is metastable and thermodynamically gets back to trans-azobenzene...

Photochromic behavior of diarylbenzene nanoparticles prepared by top-down and bottom-up approaches

The use of photochromic molecules as active elements in aggregates is very important for developing advanced materials in the next generation. Nanoparticle is one of the aggregate forms and has...

Azo-Dyes-Grafted Oligosaccharides—From Synthesis to Applications

Azobenzenes are photochromic molecules that possess a large range of applications. Their syntheses are usually simple and fast, and their purifications can be easy to perform. Oligosaccharide is also a wide family of biopolymer constituted of linear chain of saccharides. It can be extracted from biomass, as for cellulose, being the principal constituent of plant cell wall, or it can be enzymatically produced as for cyclodextrins, having properties not far from cellulose. Combining these two materials families can afford interesting applications such as controlled drug-release systems, photochromic liquid crystals, photoresponsive films or even fluorescent indicators. This review will compile the different syntheses of azo-dyes-grafted oligosaccharides, and will show their various applications.

Photochromic Dyes for Smart Textiles

Photochromism is a light induced reversible color change phenomenon in photochromic molecule due to light and heat effect and molecular species exist in two forms which have different absorption spectra. The fascinating color change by photochromic molecules in response to specific wavelength of light produces number of applications such as U.V. protective fabrics, ophthalmic photochromic lenses, optical data storing, optical switch, sensors and display. This chapter provides a brief and conclusive review of photochromism their mechanism and application in Textiles. Although photochromic materials are in use since 1960 in lenses and sunglasses, but the development is slow due to technical difficulties and poor commercial application. Now there is renewed interest in photochromic materials which are used in nanofibers in smart textiles and in allied items.

Metal complexes bearing photochromic ligands: photocontrol of functions and processes

Metal complexes associated with photochromic molecules are attractive platforms to achieve smart light-switching materials with innovative and exciting properties due to specific optical, electronic, magnetic or catalytic features of metal...

Exciton Dissociation in Quantum Dots Connected with Photochromic Molecule Bridges

We report modulation of exciton dissociation dynamics in quantum dots (QD) connected with photochromic molecules. Our results show that switching the configuration of photochromic molecules changes the inter-QD potential barrier...

Solid-state Reversible Optical Switch Based on Two Dendritic Molecules with dual sensitivity of mechanochromism and photochromism

Efficient isomerization of photochromic molecules requires conformational freedom and is often limited to the solution or polymer matrix. Thus, developing a new method to improve photochromism in the solid state...

Photoactuation of Micromechanical Devices by Photochromic Molecules

Spiropyran doped P(VDF-TrFE) nanocomposite films were spray-coated onto silicon micro-cantilevers. We show that switching the molecules from the closed- to the open-ring form by UV light gives rise to a...