Abstract
The discovery of stimuli-responsive high affinity host–guest pairs with potential applications under biologically relevant conditions is a challenging goal. This work reports a high-affinity 1:1 complex formed between cucurbit[8]uril and a water-soluble photochromic diarylethene derivative. It was found that, by confining the open isomer within the cavity of the receptor, a redshift in the absorption spectrum and an enhancement of the photocyclization quantum yield from Φ=0.04 to Φ=0.32 were induced. This improvement in the photochemical performance enables quantitative photocyclization with visible light that, together with the near-infrared light-induced ring-opening reaction and the 100-fold selectivity for the closed isomer, confirms this as an outstanding light-responsive affinity pair.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 3477-3482 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Chemistry - A European Journal |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue number | 14 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 7 Mar 2019 |
Keywords
- affinity pairs
- cucurbiturils
- diarylethenes
- host–guest systems
- photoresponsive assemblies