Optical and chemical control of the wettability of nanoporous photoswitchable films

Abstract

Wettability is a central surface property of functional thin films. Here, we present a nanoporous film made of an azobenzene-containing metal–organic framework material where the wettability is controlled by photoswitching of the fluorinated azobenzene moieties and by reversible incorporation of guest molecules with different polarities in the pores. Using both, the optical and the chemical stimuli, the water contact angle was modified over a wide range, from 23° to 97°.