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Bubble-Assisted Dynamic Confinement Enables Programmable Solid-State Photoswitching and Heterogeneous Photoresponsive
Mengmeng Guo1,2, Xuanchi Yu3, Zhaoyang Zhang3
1Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, CAS Key Laboratory of Green Printing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|August 9, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed a bubble-assisted assembly method for solid-state photoisomerization of azobenzenes. This technique enables programmable photoresponsive materials with near-quantitative performance, mimicking solution-like behavior.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Supramolecular Chemistry
- Photochemistry
Background:
- Programmable photoisomerization of azobenzenes in the solid-state is a significant challenge for developing advanced photoresponsive materials.
- Controlling molecular aggregation and motion is crucial for achieving efficient solid-state photoisomerization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a dynamic soft-confinement strategy using bubble-assisted assembly to control molecular aggregation and enable solid-state photoisomerization.
- To tailor the freedom of photoswitchable molecules within self-assembled aggregates for enhanced photoresponsive properties.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing bubble-assisted assembly within microfluidic channels with controlled morphologies (necktie-like, strip-like, necklace-like).
- Manipulating surface energy at the solid-liquid interface to influence molecular aggregation kinetics.
- Employing multi-scale characterization and computational analyses to understand confined aggregation dynamics.
Main Results:
- Achieved distinct self-assembled aggregates (microcubes, corded scaffolds, microplates) by controlling channel morphologies.
- The strip-like channel design yielded a corded scaffold structure enabling near-quantitative bidirectional E⇆Z photoisomerization (96%-98%) in the solid-state.
- Demonstrated programmable photoresponsive arrays for photomechanical applications through heterogeneous patterning.
Conclusions:
- The dynamic soft-confinement strategy offers a scalable platform for controlling supramolecular self-assembly pathways.
- This approach enables the design of solid-state photoresponsive materials with programmable functions and solution-like photoisomerization performance.
