Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Preparation of Light-responsive Membranes by a Combined Surface Grafting and Postmodification Process
Published on: March 21, 2014
Multi-responsible chameleon molecule with chiral naphthyl and azobenzene moieties
Dae-Yoon Kim1, Sang-A Lee, Minwook Park
1Polymer Materials Fusion Research Center & Department of Polymer-Nano Science and Technology, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, Jeonbuk 561-756, Korea. kujeong@jbnu.ac.kr.
Abstract:
A photochromic chiral molecule with azobenzene mesogens and a (R)-configuration naphthyl moiety (abbreviated as NCA2M) was specifically designed and synthesized for the demonstration of chameleon-like color changes responding to multitudinous external stimuli, such as temperature, light and electric field. The basic phase transition behaviors of NCA2M were first studied by the combination of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized optical microscopy (POM). Based on the structure-sensitive X-ray diffraction results obtained at different temperatures, it was comprehended that the NCA2M molecule exhibited the tilted version of highly ordered smectic crystal phase with 5.45 nm layer thickness. Chiral nematic (N*) liquid crystals (LC) with helical superstructures were formed by doping the NCA2M photochromic chiral molecule in an achiral nematic (N) LC medium. By controlling the helical pitch length of N*-LC with respect to temperature, light and electric field, the wavelength of selectively reflected light from the N* photonic crystal was finely tuned. The light-induced color change of N*-LC film was the most efficient method for covering the whole visible region from blue to green and to red, which allowed us to fabricate remote-controllable photo-responsive devices.
Related Concept Videos
Molecules with Multiple Chiral Centers
Prochirality
Chirality in Nature
Chirality
Chiral objects exhibit a sense of handedness when they interact with another chiral object. For example, our left foot can only fit in the left shoe and not in the right shoe. Achiral objects — objects that have...
Channel Rhodopsins
Rhodopsins belong to the family of cell surface proteins called G-protein coupled receptors,...
Aryldiazonium Salts to Azo Dyes: Diazo Coupling

