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Updated: Aug 4, 2025

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal
Published on: October 31, 2019
Chiroptical switching in the azobenzene-based self-locked [1]rotaxane by solvent and photoirradiation
Xin Song1,2, Xuefeng Zhu2, Shengfu Wu2
1Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Science and Technology, MOE Key Laboratory of Material Physics and Chemistry Under Extraordinary Conditions, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Abstract:
Because of its dynamic reversible nature and simple regulation properties, rotaxane systems provided a good route for the construction of responsive supramolecular chiral materials. Here, we covalently encapsulate the photo-responsive guest molecule azobenzene (Azo) in a chiral macrocycle β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) to prepare self-locked chiral [1]rotaxane [Azo-CD]. On this basis, the self-adaptive conformation of [Azo-CD] was manipulated by solvent and photoirradiation; meanwhile, dual orthogonal regulation of the [1]rotaxane chiroptical switching could also be realized.
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