Nature Communications (Nov 2023)
Breaking the photoswitch speed limit
- Grace C. Thaggard,
- Kyoung Chul Park,
- Jaewoong Lim,
- Buddhima K. P. Maldeni Kankanamalage,
- Johanna Haimerl,
- Gina R. Wilson,
- Margaret K. McBride,
- Kelly L. Forrester,
- Esther R. Adelson,
- Virginia S. Arnold,
- Shehani T. Wetthasinghe,
- Vitaly A. Rassolov,
- Mark D. Smith,
- Daniil Sosnin,
- Ivan Aprahamian,
- Manisha Karmakar,
- Sayan Kumar Bag,
- Arunabha Thakur,
- Minjie Zhang,
- Ben Zhong Tang,
- Jorge A. Castaño,
- Manuel N. Chaur,
- Michael M. Lerch,
- Roland A. Fischer,
- Joanna Aizenberg,
- Rainer Herges,
- Jean-Marie Lehn,
- Natalia B. Shustova
Affiliations
- Grace C. Thaggard
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina
- Kyoung Chul Park
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina
- Jaewoong Lim
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina
- Buddhima K. P. Maldeni Kankanamalage
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina
- Johanna Haimerl
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina
- Gina R. Wilson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina
- Margaret K. McBride
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina
- Kelly L. Forrester
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina
- Esther R. Adelson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina
- Virginia S. Arnold
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina
- Shehani T. Wetthasinghe
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina
- Vitaly A. Rassolov
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina
- Mark D. Smith
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina
- Daniil Sosnin
- Department of Chemistry, Dartmouth College
- Ivan Aprahamian
- Department of Chemistry, Dartmouth College
- Manisha Karmakar
- Department of Chemistry, Jadavpur University
- Sayan Kumar Bag
- Department of Chemistry, Jadavpur University
- Arunabha Thakur
- Department of Chemistry, Jadavpur University
- Minjie Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Optoelectronic and Magnetic Functional Materials, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- Ben Zhong Tang
- Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Optoelectronic and Magnetic Functional Materials, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- Jorge A. Castaño
- Departamento de Química, Universidad del Valle
- Manuel N. Chaur
- Departamento de Química, Universidad del Valle
- Michael M. Lerch
- Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen
- Roland A. Fischer
- Chair of Inorganic and Metal-Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Munich
- Joanna Aizenberg
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University
- Rainer Herges
- Otto Diels Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Kiel
- Jean-Marie Lehn
- Laboratoire de Chimie Supramoléculaire, Institut de Science et d’Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (ISIS), Université de Strasbourg
- Natalia B. Shustova
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43405-w
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 14,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 12
Abstract
Abstract The forthcoming generation of materials, including artificial muscles, recyclable and healable systems, photochromic heterogeneous catalysts, or tailorable supercapacitors, relies on the fundamental concept of rapid switching between two or more discrete forms in the solid state. Herein, we report a breakthrough in the “speed limit” of photochromic molecules on the example of sterically-demanding spiropyran derivatives through their integration within solvent-free confined space, allowing for engineering of the photoresponsive moiety environment and tailoring their photoisomerization rates. The presented conceptual approach realized through construction of the spiropyran environment results in ~1000 times switching enhancement even in the solid state compared to its behavior in solution, setting a record in the field of photochromic compounds. Moreover, integration of two distinct photochromic moieties in the same framework provided access to a dynamic range of rates as well as complementary switching in the material’s optical profile, uncovering a previously inaccessible pathway for interstate rapid photoisomerization.
