Light‐Driven Molecular Machines

Isomerization Kinetics of Hydroxy-Substituted Azobenzenes Using a Modified Commercial Flash Photolysis Spectrometer

“…The general area of nanoscience has experienced a great upsurge in activity and interest, as evidenced by new journals, scientific centers, academic departments, and national initiatives, devoted to exploring and exploiting the unique properties of matter on nanometer length scales . One particularly exciting area of inquiry is molecular machines, or nanomachines, that hold the promise of innovative applications in areas such as medicine and biology. − A critical component in the construction of many nanomachines is a molecular switch that can change configuration in a controlled process initiated using an external stimulus, such as light. A molecule that has attracted a great deal of scrutiny in this regard is azobenzene, shown in Figure , and associated substituted derivatives. − The trans arrangement allows the molecule to maintain a planar geometry, which facilitates delocalization of the aromatic π-electrons through the connecting azo bond while reducing unfavorable steric interactions between the phenyl substituents.…”