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New Insights into Photochromic Compounds

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 4906

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Chemistry, University of Florence, via della Lastruccia 3–13, 50019 Sesto F.No (FI), Italy
2. Kemisk Institut, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 5, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Interests: molecular switches; multi-responsive molecules; smart materials; energy storage; sensors; photochromism; hybrid multi-mode switches; organic dyes

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Guest Editor
National Institute of Metrological Research (INRiM), Strada delle Cacce 91, 10135 Turin, Italy
Interests: photoresponsive polymers; molecular switches; liquid crystalline networks; photonic materials; biomaterials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The aim of this Special Issue devoted to “New Insights into Photochromic Compounds” is to focus on the design, synthesis, and characterization, or on the unique physical and chemical applications of photochromic compounds. The ability of such molecules to exploit light and induce molecular transformations allows the control of many other molecular properties, from colour to dipole moment and fluorescence, from activation energies to rate constants and half-lives. Therefore, the range of applications of these systems spans from molecular electronics to solar energy storage, from opto-mechanical systems to actuating materials.

In this scenario, fundamental studies on the synthesis and physical-chemical properties of new photochromic systems, and the development of novel applications for existing systems can contribute to expanding the emerging technologies in the real world. Submissions regarding all aspects of this interdisciplinary field as original research papers or review articles are highly welcome.

The Special Issue will cover but not be limited to the following topics:

  • ON/OFF systems
  • photochromic molecules
  • organic dyes
  • stimuli-responsive polymers/materials
  • mechanochromic systems
  • pH and red-ox colorimetric systems
  • kinetic and spectroscopic studies of photochromic compounds
  • structure-properties relationship of photochromic compounds

We look forward to your contribution and would be pleased to provide a 20% discount for early submissions before 31 August 2021.

Prof. Dr. Martina Cacciarini
Dr. Daniele Martella
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Synthesis and characterization methods
  • Photoswitches
  • Responsive materials
  • Light-fueled actuators
  • Photosensitive polymers
  • Organic dyes
  • Azobenzenes
  • Photochromism
  • Fluorescence
  • New methodologies

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 30385 KiB  
Article
ortho-Substituted 2-Phenyldihydroazulene Photoswitches: Enhancing the Lifetime of the Photoisomer by ortho-Aryl Interactions
by Anna Ranzenigo, Franca M. Cordero, Martina Cacciarini and Mogens Brøndsted Nielsen
Molecules 2021, 26(21), 6462; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26216462 - 26 Oct 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1710
Abstract
Photochromic molecules are systems that undergo a photoisomerization to high-energy isomers and are attractive for the storage of solar energy in a closed-energy cycle, for example, in molecular solar thermal energy storage systems. One challenge is to control the discharge time of the [...] Read more.
Photochromic molecules are systems that undergo a photoisomerization to high-energy isomers and are attractive for the storage of solar energy in a closed-energy cycle, for example, in molecular solar thermal energy storage systems. One challenge is to control the discharge time of the high-energy isomer. Here, we show that different substituents in the ortho position of a phenyl ring at C-2 of dihydroazulene (DHA-Ph) significantly increase the half-life of the metastable vinylheptafulvene (VHF-Ph) photoisomer; thus, the energy-releasing VHF-to-DHA back-reaction rises from minutes to days in comparison to the corresponding para- and meta-substituted systems. Systems with two photochromic DHA-Ph units connected by a diacetylene bridge either at the para, meta and ortho positions and corresponding to a linear or to a cross-conjugated pathway between the two photochromes are also presented. Here, the ortho substitution was found to compromise the switching properties. Thus, irradiation of ortho-bridged DHA-DHA resulted in degradation, probably due to the proximity of the different functional groups that can give rise to side-reactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Photochromic Compounds)
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12 pages, 2501 KiB  
Article
Smart Coatings Prepared via MAPLE Deposition of Polymer Nanocapsules for Light-Induced Release
by Valentina Marturano, Francesco Abate, Veronica Ambrogi, Valeria Califano, Pierfrancesco Cerruti, Giovanni Piero Pepe, Luciano R. M. Vicari and Giovanni Ausanio
Molecules 2021, 26(9), 2736; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26092736 - 06 May 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2162
Abstract
Herein, smart coatings based on photo-responsive polymer nanocapsules (NC) and deposited by laser evaporation are presented. These systems combine remotely controllable release and high encapsulation efficiency of nanoparticles with the easy handling and safety of macroscopic substrates. In particular, azobenzene-based NC loaded with [...] Read more.
Herein, smart coatings based on photo-responsive polymer nanocapsules (NC) and deposited by laser evaporation are presented. These systems combine remotely controllable release and high encapsulation efficiency of nanoparticles with the easy handling and safety of macroscopic substrates. In particular, azobenzene-based NC loaded with active molecules (thyme oil and coumarin 6) were deposited through Matrix-Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) on flat inorganic (KBr) and organic (polyethylene, PE) and 3D (acrylate-based micro-needle array) substrates. SEM analyses highlighted the versatility and performance of MAPLE in the fabrication of the designed smart coatings. DLS analyses, performed on both MAPLE- and drop casting-deposited NC, demonstrated the remarkable adhesion achieved with MAPLE. Finally, thyme oil and coumarin 6 release experiments further demonstrated that MAPLE is a promising technique for the realization of photo-responsive coatings on various substrates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Photochromic Compounds)
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