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Updated: Jul 26, 2025
An Electrochemical Cholesteric Liquid Crystalline Device for Quick and Low-Voltage Color Modulation
Published on: February 27, 2019
Light-regulating chirality of metallacages featuring dithienylethene switches
Shaomeng Guo1, Mengqi Li1, Honglong Hu1
1Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry, Molecular Engineering Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry, Institute of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology 200237 China whzhu@ecust.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Dynamic chiral superstructures are of vital importance for understanding the organization and function of chirality in biological systems. However, achieving high conversion efficiency for photoswitches in nanoconfined architectures remains challenging but fascinating. Herein, we report a series of dynamic chiral photoswitches based on supramolecular metallacages through the coordination-driven self-assembly of dithienylethene (DTE) units and octahedral zinc ions, thereby successfully achieving an ultrahigh photoconversion yield of 91.3% in nanosized cavities with a stepwise isomerization mechanism. Interestingly, the chiral inequality phenomenon is observed in metallacages, resulting from the intrinsic photoresponsive chirality in the closed form of the dithienylethene unit. Upon hierarchical organization, we establish a dynamic chiral system at the supramolecular level, featuring chiral transfer, amplification, induction, and manipulation. This study provides an intriguing idea to simplify and understand chiral science.
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