Light-responsive liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are stimuli-responsive materials that facilitate the conversion of light energy into a mechanical response. In this work, a novel polysiloxane-based LCE with donor-acceptor Stenhouse adduct (DASA) side-chains is synthesized using a late-stage functionalization strategy. It is demonstrated that this ...
Proteases are involved in many essential biological processes. Dysregulation of their activity underlies a wide variety of human diseases. Photopharmacology, as applied on various classes of proteins, has the potential to assist protease research by enabling spatiotemporal control of protease activity. Moreover, it may be used to decrease side-effe...
Published in Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)
Supramolecular polymers offer tremendous potential to produce new "smart" materials, however, there remains a need to develop systems that are responsive to external stimuli. In this work, visible-light responsive hydrogen-bonded supramolecular polymers comprising photoresponsive supramolecular synthons (I-III) consisting of two hydrogen bonding mo...
Published in ACS nano
For the realization of truly reconfigurable metasurface technologies, dynamic spatial tuning of the metasurface resonance is required. Here we report the use of organic photoswitches as a means for the light-induced spatial tuning of metasurface resonances. Coating of a dielectric metasurface, hosting high-quality-factor resonances, with a spiropyr...
Publication status: Published / This study presents the synthesis and characterization of two fluorescent norbornadiene (NBD) photoswitches, each incorporating two conjugated pyrene units. Expanding on the limited repertoire of reported photoswitchable fluorescent NBDs, we explore their properties with a focus on applications in bioimaging of amylo...
Styrylbenzazoles form a promising yet under-represented class of photoswitches that can perform a light-driven E-Z isomerization of the central alkene double bond without undergoing irreversible photocyclization, typical of the parent stilbene. In this work, we report the synthesis and photochemical study of 23 styrylbenzazole photoswitches. Their ...
Published in Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
Stimuli-responsive molecular systems support within permanently porous materials offer the opportunity to host dynamic functions in multifunctional smart materials. However, the construction of highly porous frameworks featuring external-stimuli responsiveness, for example by light excitation, is still in its infancy. Here a general strategy is pre...
Compounds that disrupt microtubule dynamics, such as colchicine, paclitaxel, or Vinca alkaloids, have been broadly used in biological studies and have found application in clinical anticancer medications. However, their main disadvantage is the lack of specificity towards cancerous cells, leading to severe side effects. In this paper, we report the...
Published in Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
A series of dithienylethene (DTE) photoswitches with aza-heteroaromatic cationic moieties is synthesized. The switches are characterized regarding their photochemical and photophysical properties in acetonitrile and in water. The efficiency of the switching and the photostationary state composition depend on the degree of π-conjugation of the heter...
Published in IEEE Journal of Translational Engineering in Health and Medicine
Optogenetics is a new approach for controlling neural circuits with numerous applications in both basic and clinical science. In retinal degenerative diseases, the photoreceptors die, but inner retinal cells remain largely intact. By expressing light sensitive proteins in the remaining cells, optogenetics has the potential to offer a novel approach...
