ResearchPhotoswitches

Photoswitches for Materials, Devices, and Manufacturing

Using an external light stimulus to remotely control and power advanced materials, devices thereof, and their manufacturing in a dynamic fashion with superior spatial and temporal resolution offers tremendous opportunities. In this context, photoswitchable molecular systems undergoing reversible changes upon illumination have become key ingredients that our group is developing and optimizing with regard to their performance. These custom-designed photoswitches constitute the molecular basis of various applications ranging from ranging from optically controlled molecular sensors over (self)healing films and rubbers as well as photoactuating films and coatings to various optically gated electronic devices in transistors, memories, and displays. Moreover, we have developed photoswitchable photoinitiators to enable xolography as a new and powerful volumetric 3D printing method.

On Surface Polymerization

Reviews on photoswitchable materials

Adv. Mater. 2020, 32, 1905966 [SH1]
Adv. Mater. 2010, 22, 3348-3360 [SH2]

Review on designing photoswitches for soft materials

Adv. Optical Mater. 2019, 7, 1900404 [SH8]

Review on photoswitches and essentials of photodynamic equilibria

Chem. Soc. Rev. 2017, 46, 5536-5550 [SH3]

Review on designing visible light operated photoswitches

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2015, 54, 11338-11349 [SH9]

Reviews on photoswitches to remote-control covalent bond formation and (polymerization) catalysis

Chem. Commun. 2019, 55, 4290-4298 [SH4],
Chem. Soc. Rev. 2014, 43, 1982-1996 [SH5],
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2010, 49, 5054-5075 [SH6]

Review on photoswitchable foldamers

Chem. Commun. 2016, 52, 6639-6653 [SH7]

Original work on designing photoswitchable molecules includes

J. Phys. Chem Lett. [SH10.1],
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 19352-19358 [SH10.2],
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 11857-11864 [SH10.3],
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 1945-1949 [SH10.4],
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 4797-4801 [SH10.5],
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 1414-1417 [SH10.6],
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 15205-15211 [SH10.7],
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 335-341 [SH10.8],
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 1544-1547 [SH10.9],
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 1208-1212 [SH10.10],
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 14982-14991 [SH10.11],
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 2738-2747 [SH10.12],
Chem. Eur. J. 2014, 20, 16492-16501 [SH10.13],
Chem. Sci. 2013, 4, 1028-1040 [SH10.14],
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 20597-20600 [SH10.15],
Chem. Eur. J. 2012, 18, 14282–14285 [SH10.16]

Pioneering work on using photoswitches for xolography

Nature 2020, 588, 620-624 [SH12]

Original work on applying photoswitchable molecules includes

Adv. Mater. 2021, 33, 2007965 [SH11.1],
Nat. Commun. 2020, 11, 4731 [SH11.2],
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 11050-11059 [SH11.3],
Adv. Mater. 2020, 32, 1907903 [SH11.4],
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 12862-12867 [SH11.5],
Nat. Nanotechnol. 2019, 14, 347-353 [SH11.6],
Nat. Chem. 2018, 10, 1031-1036 [SH11.7],
Nat. Catal. 2018, 1, 516-522 [SH11.8],
Nat. Commun. 2018, 9, 2661 [SH11.9],
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 6432-6440 [SH11.10],
Adv. Mater. 2018, 30, 1800364 [SH11.11],
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 1914-1918 [SH11.12],
Nat. Commun. 2016, 7, 13623 [SH11.13],
Nat. Commun. 2016, 7, 11975 [SH11.14],
Nature Nanotechnology 2016, 11, 769-775 [SH11.15],
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 13882-13886 [SH11.16],
Nat. Commun. 2015, 6, 6330 [SH11.17],
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, 13985-13990 [SH11.18],
Nature Chemistry 2012, 4, 675-679 [SH11.19],
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50, 12559-12563 [SH11.20],
 Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50, 1640-1643[SH11.21],
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 357-367 [SH11.22],
Nature Nanotechnology 2008, 3, 649-653 [SH11.23],
J. Phys. Chem. C 2008, 112, 10509-10514 [SH11.24],
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128, 14446-14447 [SH11.25],
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2006, 45, 1878-1881 [SH11.26]