Incorporating Photoresponses into Porous Liquids

Porous liquids combine the properties of a porous solid with those of a liquid, creating a porous flowable media. Since their discovery, these materials have gathered widespread interest within the scientific community, with substantial numbers of new systems being discovered, often with a focus on increasing the pore volume and gas capacity. Which begs the question, what does the future hold for porous liquids? Recently, the first examples of photoresponsive porous liquids have emerged, allowing changes in porosity to be observed under UV irradiation. Here, we expand on our previous report of photoresponsive porous liquids and explore the conceptualisation of responsive porous liquids and how these materials could be developed with the ability to respond to light, thereby offering a potential mechanism of controllable uptake and release in these systems. This concept article summarises different approaches that could be used to incorporate a photoresponse in a porous liquid before discussing recently reported systems, alongside important factors to consider in their design. Finally, by taking inspiration from the methods used to translate porous solids into the liquid state, combined with the field of photoresponsive materials, we discuss potential strategies that could be employed to realise further examples of photoresponsive porous liquids.