Light-driven control of the composition of a supramolecular network

Abstract

All-photonic and reversible switching of the composition of a supramolecular network is enabled by employing a dithienylethene guest.

Photochemistry in Huelva: Light for Triggering, Controlling, and Monitoring Chemical Processes

“…This has yielded systems that can be used to deliver drugs or bio‐relevant guests (short peptides, amino acids, neurotransmitters) upon application of light and in a spatiotemporally controlled manner . Other applications are related to the concept of systems chemistry and adaptive chemistry, having implications for writing and storage of information contained in optical signals …”

Photoresponsive Binding Dynamics in High‐Affinity Cucurbit[8]uril‐Dithienylethene Host‐Guest Complexes

“…While carefully designed pH‐responsive guests enable a high degree of control over the complexation dynamics, this stimulus may be unsuitable for some applications requiring remote application and spatiotemporal control. Light stimuli can, on the other hand, fulfill these conditions and a variety of light‐responsive CBn host‐guest complexes have been reported [38–49] . However, the use of light to control the binding dynamics of CBn inclusion complexes has seldomly been addressed and, to the best of our knowledge, examples showing substantial light‐induced changes in the complexation rate constants are still lacking [50] …”

Light-driven release of cucurbit[8]uril from a bivalent cage

“… 21 Of particular note are diarylethenes-based switches featuring low to high nanomolar affinity switches between their two states, 22 which has been used for example for induction of light-mediated self-sorting. 23 Notwithstanding, there is a need for novel switchable CB[8]-based systems for controlling biomolecular assemblies, including those with affinities matching the concentrations and assembly characteristics of the biomolecules involved. Here we report on a supramolecular caged CB[8] capable of undergoing light-triggered release using a photo-cleavable bivalent FGG-cage ( Fig.…”