Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiaoyan Yang, Haibao Jin, Xinfeng Tao, Yuan Yao, Yufeng Xie, Shaoliang Lin
Summary: A simple strategy for the preparation of photo-responsive azobenzene-containing inverse opal (AzoIO) films with adjustable structural colors in wide visible wavelength is reported. The study demonstrates the potential for developing promising optical anti-counterfeiting materials.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Miaomiao Zhu, Weijie Wang, Caihong Zhang, Liping Zhu, Shuguang Yang
Summary: In this study, azobenzene compounds DR1 and Aazo were linked to PAA side chains to form PAA-DR1 and PAA-Aazo, which were then associated with PEO to produce hydrogen-bonded polymer complex fibers. UV irradiation led to significant improvements in mechanical properties for PAA-Aazo/PEO fibers, while only slight changes were observed for PAA-DR1/PEO fibers. Additionally, both types of fibers showed contraction under UV irradiation, indicating potential for photo-actuation.
ADVANCED FIBER MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Luke Harvey, Jean-Michel Guigner, Laurent Bouteiller, Erwan Nicol, Olivier Colombani
Summary: This study reports a 5-step synthesis and self-assembly of an azobenzene-bisurea sticker. In the trans-azobenzene configuration, long nano-cylinders can be obtained by dissolving the polymer in DMSO and slowly adding water. UV-light irradiation triggers the photo-isomerization of azobenzene units, disrupting the photo-responsive assemblies.
Article
Polymer Science
Xiaoyan Yang, Haibao Jin, Xinfeng Tao, Binbin Xu, Shaoliang Lin
Summary: This study reports the crafting of a superhydrophobic surface with tunable microstructures and wettability using an azobenzene-containing memory polymer as the substrate, and achieves reversible and reliable transformation among different wetting states through photo-manipulation.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jian Chen, Xu Chen, Umair Azhar, Xiaoyu Yang, Chunhua Zhou, Mei Yan, Hui Li, Chuanyong Zong
Summary: Decoration of porous materials with stimulus-responsive polymers is an efficient strategy for fabrication of superwetting surfaces. However, weak interfacial interaction between the polymers and the substrates limits their application. Inspired by mussel foot protein, a series of catechol-functionalized azobenzene-containing copolymers are synthesized and used for preparation of smart superwetting surfaces. These surfaces exhibit photo-switchable wettability and excellent mechanical stability.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xinhai Lv, Hongye Yan, Zhenbang Wang, Jianrong Dong, Chang Liu, Yu Zhou, Hongxiang Chen
Summary: Incorporating photochromic azobenzene groups into polymers allows for reversible photoactuation. However, damage can reduce their service scope or lifetime, making it challenging to design healable and reprocessable azobenzene-containing polymers. This study explores the impact of hydrogen bonding between urea groups on the photo-responsive behavior of polyurea elastomer and provides a feasible way to obtain healable and reprocessable azobenzene-containing polymers.
Review
Chemistry, Applied
Wen Li, Yanlong Zhan, Alidad Amirfazli, Abdul Rahim Siddiqui, Sirong Yu
Summary: This review presents the latest research progress and applications of stimulus-responsive superhydrophobic surfaces, including various types of stimuli. The research is of great significance and provides future research directions.
PROGRESS IN ORGANIC COATINGS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Bin Deng, Bin Li, Bin Du, Shisheng Zhou, Rubai Luo, Huailin Li
Summary: In this study, a pH-responsive polymer was prepared and coated with a block copolymer to create a smart material with pH-responsive switchable superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic properties. The material showed great potential in the treatment of oily wastewater.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Young Jin Choi, Young-Wun Kim, Kun Jun, Seong-Geun Oh, Ho-Cheol Kang
Summary: A series of new asymmetric gemini-type cationic surfactants with photo-responsive properties were synthesized successfully, exhibiting good solubility in water solutions and high yields. Light irradiation can be used to control the critical micelle concentration values of the surfactants, and their properties were compared to commercial surfactants.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Xudong Wu, Ye Yuan, Shiwei Zhao, Yuan Lei, Xiaowei Fu, Jingxin Lei, Liang Jiang
Summary: This study discovered the synergistic effects between liquid crystal and crystalline phase, and successfully introduced azobenzene molecules into polyurethane elastomers to prepare azobenzene liquid-crystal elastomers (ALCEs). The synthetic ALCEs can utilize the reversible isomerism capability of azobenzene molecules to achieve large macroscopic deformation under light irradiation. Compared to traditional azobenzene materials, the ALCEs exhibit higher bending speed and recovery rate.
MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Chuan Yan, Liqin Yang, Xiangquan Mo, Keying Chen, Weiya Niu, Zhiju Zhao, Guanghua Li
Summary: PMAAAB-ran-PHEA micelles exhibit porous or bowl-shaped structure with a size of 135-150 nm. They possess reversible hydrophobicity, temperature-dependent size, and solubilization capacity.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shangjie Jiang, Shisheng Zhou, Bin Du, Rubai Luo
Summary: This paper proposes a method for preparing a high-stability superhydrophobic paper with temperature-induced wettability transition. By adjusting the mass ratio of amino-modified SiO2 to polymer, the performance of the superhydrophobic paper can be optimized, showing a broad application prospect.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yunxia Jiang, Yan Li, Bailing Xu, Guanbo Wang, Gengxin Wang, Zhe Chen
Summary: The novel photo-responsive imidazolium surfactant CAzoCM and its graphene oxide hybrid CAzoCM-GO were studied for their chemical structure, liquid crystal properties, and photo-responsive behavior. The results showed partial reduction of graphene oxide, preservation of liquid crystal properties in the composite, and faster photo-responsive behavior in the presence of graphene oxide.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
David Urban, Niccolo Marcucci, Christoph Hubertus Woelfle, Jan Torgersen, Dag Roar Hjelme, Emiliano Descrovi
Summary: The researchers achieved arbitrary deformations in amorphous composites by using light-responsive polymers and controlled polarization of visible light. They embedded azopolymer microparticles in a rubbery elastic matrix and measured localized strains using microscope images. Additionally, they developed free-standing 3D actuators capable of multiple configurational changes.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Hongyu Qian, Pin He, Lu Zhang, Ke Chen, Binbin Xu, Shaoliang Lin
Summary: Molecular brushes (MBs) are a unique type of branched macromolecules with special rheological and mechanical properties, suitable for nanotechnology and surface science. By studying the synthesis and properties of PA-g-PAzo/Bar, it was found that the morphology of MBs-based aggregates changes from cylinder to compound micelle with increasing concentration, and transitions of cylinder-to-porous nanosheet and compound micelle-to-pearl-necklace were observed under UV irradiation, attributed to the trans-to-cis isomerization of PAzo brushes.
CHINESE JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Yabin Zhang, Shuyan Liu, Tianyu Li, Luqing Zhang, Umair Azhar, Jiachen Ma, Congcong Zhai, Chuanyong Zong, Shuxiang Zhang
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiaoxin Zhao, Juanjuan Wang, Jinkai Huang, Lele Li, Enping Liu, Jingxin Zhao, Qifeng Li, Xin Zhang, Conghua Lu
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiaoyu Yang, Umair Azhar, Wei Wang, Congcong Zhai, Qingshuang Zhang, Shuxiang Zhang, Chuanyong Zong
Summary: This study presents a simple and versatile click chemistry approach to synthesize a series of azobenzene-containing surfactants with variable substituents, exhibiting rapid light-responsive properties and tunable surface characteristics. These surfactants have potential applications in green textiles, oil extraction, and emulsification due to their high photo-sensitivity.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Congcong Zhai, Umair Azhar, Wence Yue, Yingqian Dou, Luqing Zhang, Xiaoyu Yang, Yabin Zhang, Peiming Xu, Chuanyong Zong, Shuxiang Zhang
Article
Polymer Science
Juanjuan Wang, Xue Han, Haipeng Ji, Conghua Lu
Summary: The study explores the photosoftening effect in azobenzene-polymer supramolecular complexes using a light-associated surface wrinkling-based method. It reveals the pattern of photo-induced modulus decrease and systematically investigates the relationship between photosoftening and azo-moiety content, as well as the molecular weight of the host polymer. The introduction of a photosoftening coefficient related to the chemical composition/structure of azo-polymers and a formula to quantify the connection between photosoftening and external irradiation conditions and internal chemical factors of azo-polymers are significant findings.
MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Congcong Zhai, Guoxin Fang, Wenqing Liu, Tingyao Wu, Luyang Miao, Luqing Zhang, Jiachen Ma, Yabin Zhang, Chuanyong Zong, Shuxiang Zhang, Conghua Lu
Summary: The study introduces a versatile dip-coating approach to fabricate smart textiles with acid/base-driven chromotropic capability, allowing for rapid color switching and high-performance rewritable media. The smart textiles can be utilized for information storage, sensors, as well as demonstrating excellent antifouling and chemical/mechanical stabilities.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yue Yu, Lele Li, Enping Liu, Xue Han, Juanjuan Wang, Yu-Xin Xie, Conghua Lu
Summary: This paper introduces a new type of core-shell CNTs@LCE fiber soft actuator with excellent photothermal conversion capacity and thermal-contraction characteristic. The actuator can be controlled by near-infrared light and exhibits outstanding phototropic bending, acting as artificial muscle for various applications. The unique photo-driven phototropic movement mechanism of the core-shell CNTs@LCE fiber is expected to guide the development of other soft smart fiber actuators for advanced applications.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jian Chen, Xiaoyu Yang, Jie Chen, Umair Azhar, Feiyan Chen, Ruijie Zhu, Chunhua Zhou, Shichun Jiang, Wei Wang, Peiming Xu, Chuanyong Zong
Summary: A cost-effective strategy was proposed to fabricate stimulus-sensitive surfaces with tunable morphologies using photo-induced stress relaxation, which can be used as rewritable information storage media for non-ink printing.
CHINESE JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Enping Liu, Lele Li, Juanjuan Wang, Xue Han, Xiaopeng Li, Fan Xu, Yanping Cao, Conghua Lu
Summary: Spontaneous surface wrinkling is a simple and universal method for pattern surfaces in smart systems. However, dynamically manipulating and orienting the wrinkling remains a challenge.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jian Chen, Xu Chen, Umair Azhar, Xiaoyu Yang, Chunhua Zhou, Mei Yan, Hui Li, Chuanyong Zong
Summary: Decoration of porous materials with stimulus-responsive polymers is an efficient strategy for fabrication of superwetting surfaces. However, weak interfacial interaction between the polymers and the substrates limits their application. Inspired by mussel foot protein, a series of catechol-functionalized azobenzene-containing copolymers are synthesized and used for preparation of smart superwetting surfaces. These surfaces exhibit photo-switchable wettability and excellent mechanical stability.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Liang Yuan, Jian Chen, Yuxin Li, Guangzeng Luo, Zhilu Gao, Chunhua Zhou, Hui Li, Peiming Xu, Chuanyong Zong
Summary: An azobenzene-containing polyimide with enhanced chain flexibility was synthesized for the fabrication of photosensitive surface patterns on wrinkled film/substrate systems or wrinkle-free devices. The phototriggered cis-trans isomerization kinetics of the azobenzene groups were investigated, and the stress relaxation induced by reversible cis-trans isomerization was utilized to create rewritable visual surface patterns with high resolution and long legibility time (>30 days). This study provides insights into the photoresponsive behavior of azopolymer and a versatile strategy for creating smart surface patterns on multilayer functional devices.
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Yue Yu, Juanjuan Wang, Xue Han, Shuguang Yang, Gaihong An, Conghua Lu
Summary: This review summarizes the fabrication methods, actuation mechanisms, and applications of fiber-shaped soft actuators (FSAs) in different fields. The development tendency of FSAs is also discussed.
ADVANCED FIBER MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Lele Li, Yang Zheng, Enping Liu, Juanjuan Wang, Xue Han, Shichun Jiang, Fan Xu, Yanping Cao, Conghua Lu
Summary: The high-performance strain sensors based on a wrinkle-templated microcracking mechanism offer waterproof properties, ultrafast dynamic sensing behaviors, and ultrahigh sensitivity. These sensors demonstrate outstanding capabilities in various practical applications, showing excellent performance under different strain ranges.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Juanjuan Wang, Haipeng Ji, Yanqian Guo, Bin Wang, Xue Han, Lele Li, Fuqi Wu, Jingqing Li, Conghua Lu
Summary: This study introduces a light-assisted strategy to prevent surface wrinkling on azobenzene-containing polyblend films. It was found that visible light irradiation can effectively suppress mechanical strain-induced surface wrinkling of azo-based polyblend films attached on pre-strained compliant substrates. Empirical scaling laws relating critical wrinkling conditions to external and internal factors were derived through systematic investigation of light irradiation conditions and polyblend composition.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Xinkang Wang, Lele Li, Enping Liu, Juanjuan Wang, Xue Han, Yanping Cao, Conghua Lu
Summary: This study reports a high-performance multiresponsive bilayer actuator with outstanding humidity/light/electricity/thermal responses. The actuator is achieved by depositing a polypyrrole layer on a polyethylene glycol terephthalate substrate via chemical oxidation polymerization, leading to the formation of PPy hierarchical micro-/nanostructures. The actuator exhibits large deformation capability and can be controlled to achieve reversible complex deformations between two- and three-dimensional configurations. Additionally, the actuator shows promising applications in various fields such as artificial muscles and soft microrobots.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2021)
