Azobenzenes are versatile photoswitches that garner interest in applications ranging from photobiology to energy storage. Despite their great potential, transforming azobenzene-based discoveries and proof-of-concept demonstrations from the lab to the market is highly challenging. Herein we give an overview of a journey that started from a discovery of hydroxyazobenzene's humidity sensitive isomerisation kinetics, developed into commercialization efforts of azobenzene-containing thin film sensors for optical monitoring of the relative humidity of air, and arrives to the present work aiming for better design of such sensors by understanding the different factors affecting the humidity sensitivity. Our concept is based on thermal isomerisation kinetics of tautomerizable azobenzenes in polymer matrices which, using pre-defined calibration curves, can be converted to relative humidity at known temperature. We present a small library of tautomerizable azobenzenes exhibiting humidity sensitive isomerisation kinetics in hygroscopic polymer films. We also investigate how water absorption properties of the polymer used, and the isomerisation kinetics are linked and how the azobenzene content in the thin film affects both properties. Based on our findings we propose simple strategies for further development of azobenzene-based optical humidity sensors.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43246-024-00642-w | DOI Listing |
Nat Chem
January 2025
Instituto de Investigaciones Químicas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain.
Open-shell systems based on first-row transition metals and their involvement in various catalytic processes are well explored. By comparison, mononuclear open-shell complexes of precious transition metals remain underdeveloped. This is particularly true for Ir complexes, as there is very limited information available regarding their application in catalysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Myosin-IC (myo1c) is a class-I myosin that supports transport and remodeling of the plasma membrane and membrane-bound vesicles. Like other members of the myosin family, its biochemical kinetics are altered in response to changes in mechanical loads that resist the power stroke. However, myo1c is unique in that the primary force-sensitive kinetic transition is the isomerization that follows ATP binding, not ADP release as in other slow myosins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe hexadehydro-Diels-Alder (HDDA) reaction is a cycloisomerization between a conjugated diyne and a tethered diynophile that generates -benzyne derivatives. Considerable fundamental understanding of aryne reactivity has resulted from this body of research. The multi-yne cycloisomerization substrate is typically pre-formed and the (rate-limiting) closure of this diyne/diynophile pair to produce the isomeric benzyne generally requires thermal input, often requiring reaction temperatures of >100 °C and times of 16-48 h to achieve near-full conversion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Chem Phys
January 2025
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Chemical Theory and Mechanism, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China.
The reaction CH3NC ⇌ CH3CN, a model reaction for the study of unimolecular isomerization, is important in astronomy and atmospheric chemistry and has long been studied by numerous experiments and theories. In this work, we report the first full-dimensional accurate potential energy surface (PES) of this reaction by the permutation invariant polynomial-neural network method based on 30 974 points, whose energies are calculated at the CCSD(T)-F12a/AVTZ level. Then, ring polymer molecular dynamics is used to derive the free energy barrier of the reaction at the experimental temperature range of 472.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
December 2024
College of Life Sciences, Yangtze University, 1 South-Loop Road, Jingzhou 434025, China.
α-Arbutin is the fourth generation whitening factor in the field of cosmetics, which can block the synthesis of melanin in epidermal cells and has the advantages of good stability and less toxic side effects. Moreover, α-arbutin has potential application value in food, medicine, and other fields. However, the extraction yield from plant tissues is relatively low, which restricts its application value.
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