Visible phenomena utilizing photoisomerization of azobenzene

Abstract

Photoisomerization of azobenzene has been attracting a lot of researchers due to its excellent photoreactivity and various synthetic methods that enable various molecular design toward wide range of applications. Various type of photoswitching molecules have been proposed and intriguing phenomena have been reported in azobenzene-containing materials. This review commences with a brief description of recent progress of azobenzene-based materials that exhibit phenomena that can be visualized by eye (excluding color change) caused by photoisomerization. Successful examples such as bending crystals and polymer films, motion of objects, orientation of molecules, phase transitions, and aggregation-induced emission are described.