Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Controlling the Size, Shape and Stability of Supramolecular Polymers in Water
Published on: August 2, 2012
Optical switching of self-assembly and disassembly of noncovalently connected amphiphiles
Jiong Zou1, Fenggang Tao, Ming Jiang
1Department of Chemistry and Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, 200433, China.
Abstract:
A hydrophobic compound, which we name 3C18-Azo, containing an azo head and three 18 C alkyl chains has the capacity to form an amphiphile by capping it with a cyclodextrin (CD) by inclusion complexation. The amphiphilic compound self-assembles into vesicles in water. Optical switching of the assembly and disassembly is realized by alternating visible and UV irradiation, which causes the isomerization of the azo groups, thus affecting their complexation with the CDs.

