Issue 47, 2021

Light-induced switching of polymer-surfactant interactions enables controlled polymer thermoresponsive behaviour

Abstract

Hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) and arylazopyrazole (AAP) mixtures can be remotely controlled by light and temperature. We show that the hydrophobic interactions between HPC polymers with AAP surfactants can be drastically changed by changing the surfactants configuration through E/Z photo-isomerization. E-AAP interacts strongly with HPC which causes a dramatic increase of the critical temperature Tc of the polymers’ phase transition and a loss of the coil-to-globule transition, while the hydrophobic interactions of HPC with Z-AAP are drastically reduced. As a result, E/Z photo-isomerization of AAP in mixtures with HPC offers remote control of the polymers phase transition, size and solution viscosity in an unprecedented way, and allows for new directions in colloid science.

Graphical abstract: Light-induced switching of polymer-surfactant interactions enables controlled polymer thermoresponsive behaviour

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
17 Apr 2021
Accepted
06 May 2021
First published
10 May 2021

Chem. Commun., 2021,57, 5826-5829

Light-induced switching of polymer-surfactant interactions enables controlled polymer thermoresponsive behaviour

E. Weißenborn, J. Droste, M. Hardt, D. Schlattmann, C. Tennagen, C. Honnigfort, M. Schönhoff, M. R. Hansen and B. Braunschweig, Chem. Commun., 2021, 57, 5826 DOI: 10.1039/D1CC02054D

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