Interlocked Photo-degradable Macrocycles Allow One-Off Photo-triggerable Gelation of Organo- and Hydrogelators
Shun-Te Tung1, Hung-Te Cheng1, Alex Inthasot1
1Department of Chemistry and Center for Emerging Material and Advanced Devices, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei, Taiwan, 10617, R.O.C.
Abstract:
[2]Rotaxanes displaying one-off photo-triggerable gelation properties have been synthesized through the "clipping" of photo-degradable macrocycles around the amide or urea functionalities of organo- and hydrogelators. Irradiation with UV-light cleaved the photo-labile macrocyclic components from the [2]rotaxanes, resulting in the free gelators being released into solution and, thereafter, forming gels. When the rate of gelation was sufficiently rapid, selective gelation of specific regions of the solution-and, indeed, photo-patterning of the solution-was possible.
