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Light‐ and Solvent‐Controlled Self‐Assembly Behavior of Spiropyran–Polyoxometalate–Alkyl Hybrid Molecules
Author(s) -
Chu Yang,
Saad Ali,
Yin Panchao,
Wu Jiayingzi,
Oms Olivier,
Dolbecq Anne,
Mialane Pierre,
Liu Tianbo
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201601173
Subject(s) - spiropyran , merocyanine , photochromism , polyoxometalate , amphiphile , alkyl , photochemistry , vesicle , self assembly , solvent , chemistry , materials science , molecule , chemical engineering , organic chemistry , polymer , copolymer , membrane , biochemistry , engineering , catalysis
A molecular photochromic spiropyran–polyoxometalate–alkyl organic–inorganic hybrid has been synthesized and fully characterized. The reversible switching of the hydrophobic spiropyran fragment to the hydrophilic merocyanine one can be easily achieved under light irradiation at different wavelengths. This switch changes the amphiphilic feature of the hybrid, leading to a light‐controlled self‐assembly behavior in solution. It has been shown that the hybrid can reversibly self‐assemble into vesicles in polar solvents and irreversibly into reverse vesicles in non‐polar solvents. The sizes of the vesicles and the reverse vesicles are both tunable by the polarity of the solvent, with the hydrophobic interactions being the main driving force.