preparation-liquid-crystal-networks-for-macroscopic-oscillatory

Preparation of Liquid Crystal Networks for Macroscopic Oscillatory Motion Induced by Light

A strategy based on doped liquid crystalline networks is described to create mechanical self-sustained oscillations of plastic films under continuous ...

Technical University of Eindhoven

The transfer of chirality from a guest molecule to an achiral host is the subject of significant interest especially when, upon chiral induction, the chiroptical response of the host/guest complex can effectively report the absolute configuration (AC) of the guest. For more than a decade, dimeric metalloporphyrin hosts (tweezers) have been successfully applied as chirality probes for determination of the AC for a wide variety of chiral synthetic compounds and natural products. The objective of this study is to investigate the utility of a new class of melamine-bridged Zn-porphyrin tweezers as sensitive AC reporters. A combined approach based on an experimental CD analysis and a theoretical prediction of the prevailing interporphyrin helicity demonstrates that these tweezers display favorable properties for chiral recognition. Herein, we discuss the application of the melamine-bridged tweezer to the chiral recognition of a diverse set of chiral guests, such as 1,2-diamines, α-amino-esters and amides, secondary alcohols, and 1,2-amino-alcohols. The bulky periphery and the presence of a rigid porphyrin linkage lead, in some cases, to a more enhanced CD sensitivity than that reported earlier with other tweezers.

Bulky melamine-based Zn-porphyrin tweezer as a CD probe of molecular chirality.

Photo- and thermoresponsive supramolecular assemblies: reversible photorelease of K+ ions and constitutional dynamics.

Constitutional dynamic libraries of hydrazones (a)A(b)B and acylhydrazones (a)A(c)C undergo reorganization and adaptation in response to a chemical effector (metal cations) or a physical stimulus (light). The set of hydrazones [(1)A(1)B, (1)A(2)B, (2)A(1)B, (2)A(2)B] undergoes metalloselection on addition of zinc cations which drive the amplification of Zn((1)A(2)B)2 by selection of the fittest component (1)A(2)B. The set of acylhydrazones [E-(1)A(1)C, (1)A(2)C, (2)A(1)C, (2)A(2)C] undergoes photoselection by irradiation of the system, which causes photoisomerization of E-(1)A(1)C into Z-(1)A(1)C with amplification of the latter. The set of acyl hydrazones [E-(1)A(1)C, (1)A(3)C, (2)A(1)C, (2)A(3)C] undergoes a dual adaptation via component exchange and selection in response to two orthogonal external agents: a chemical effector, metal cations, and a physical stimulus, light irradiation. Metalloselection takes place on addition of zinc cations which drive the amplification of Zn((1)A(3)C)2 by selection of the fittest constituent (1)A(3)C. Photoselection is obtained on irradiation of the acylhydrazones that leads to photoisomerization from E-(1)A(1)C to Z-(1)A(1)C configuration with amplification of the latter. These changes may be represented by square constitutional dynamic networks that display up-regulation of the pairs of agonists ((1)A(2)B, (2)A(1)B), (Z-(1)A(1)C, (2)A(2)C), ((1)A(3)C, (2)A(1)C), (Z-(1)A(1)C, (2)A(3)C) and the simultaneous down-regulation of the pairs of antagonists ((1)A(1)B, (2)A(2)B), ((1)A(2)C, (2)A(1)C), (E-(1)A(1)C, (2)A(3)C), ((1)A(3)C, (2)A(1)C). The orthogonal dual adaptation undergone by the set of acylhydrazones amounts to a network switching process.

Adaptation in constitutional dynamic libraries and networks, switching between orthogonal metalloselection and photoselection processes.

Light irradiation of the molecular photoswitch 1-E causes isomerization into the 1-Z configuration stabilized by an internal hydrogen bond. 1-E bears aldehyde groups allowing for dynamic covalent reaction with linear diamines. On photoinduced E/Z shape switching of 1 in presence of diamines, the system undergoes interconversion between two states, a non-cyclic oligomeric one and a macrocyclic one, corresponding respectively to the E and Z configurations of 1. With a mixture of linear α,ω-diamines, 1-E yields non-selective dynamic oligomers by random incorporation of diamine components. Photoswitching to the 1-Z form leads to constitutional adaptation with preferential formation of the macrocycle incorporating the best suited diamine, H2 N(CH2 )7 NH2 . In presence of metal cations, the E form switches from its unbound W shape to its coordinated U shape and yields the macrocycle resulting from the selective incorporation of the diamine H2 NCH2 CH2 OCH2 CH2 NH2 that contains an additional O coordination site. Taken together, the results obtained describe constitutional adaptation in a triple state system: an oligomeric one and two different macrocyclic ones generated in response to two orthogonal agents, a physical stimulus, light, or a chemical effector, metal cations. These three states present, towards the incorporation of diamine components, respectively no selection, photoselection and metalloselection.

Reversible adaptation to photoinduced shape switching by oligomer-macrocycle interconversion with component selection in a three-state constitutional dynamic system.

Correction to "adaptation in constitutional dynamic libraries and networks, switching between orthogonal metalloselection and photoselection processes".

The displacement of molecular structures from their thermodynamically most stable state by imposition of various types of electronic and conformational constraints generates highly strained entities that tend to release the accumulated strain energy by undergoing either structural changes or chemical reactions. The latter case amounts to strain-induced reactivity (SIR) that may enforce specific chemical transformations. A particular case concerns dynamic covalent chemistry which may present SIR, whereby reversible reactions are activated by coupling to a high-energy state. We herewith describe such a dynamic covalent chemical (DCC) system involving the reversible imine formation reaction. It is based on the formation of strained macrocyclic bis-imine metal complexes in which the macrocyclic ligand is in a high energy form enforced by the coordination of the metal cation. Subsequent demetallation generates a highly strained free macrocycle that releases its accumulated strain energy by hydrolysis and reassembly into a resting state. Specifically, the metal-templated condensation of a dialdehyde with a linear diamine leads to a bis-imine [1+1]-macrocyclic complex in which the macrocyclic ligand is in a coordination-enforced strained conformation. Removal of the metal cation by a competing ligand yields a highly reactive [1+1]-macrocycle, which then undergoes hydrolysis to transient non-cyclic aminoaldehyde species, which then recondense to a strain-free [2+2]-macrocyclic resting state. The process can be monitored by (1) H NMR spectroscopy. Energy differences between different conformational states have been evaluated by Hartree-Fock (HF) computations. One may note that the stabilisation of high-energy molecular forms by metal ion coordination followed by removal of the latter, offers a general procedure for producing out-of-equilibrium molecular states, the fate of which may then be examined, in particular when coupled to dynamic covalent chemical processes.

Strain-Induced Reactivity in the Dynamic Covalent Chemistry of Macrocyclic Imines.

Constitutional dynamic libraries (CDLs) of hydrazones, acylhydrazones, and imines undergo reorganization and adaptation in response to chemical effectors (herein metal cations) via component exchange and selection. Such CDLs can be subjected to training by exposition to given effectors and keep memory of the information stored by interaction with a specific metal ion. The long-term storage of the acquired information into the set of constituents of the system allows for fast recognition on subsequent contacts with the same effector(s). Dynamic networks of constituents were designed to adapt orthogonally to different metal cations by up- and down-regulation of specific constituents in the final distribution. The memory may be erased by component exchange between the constituents so as to regenerate the initial (statistical) distribution. The libraries described represent constitutional dynamic systems capable of acting as information storage molecular devices, in which the presence of components linked by reversible covalent bonds in slow exchange and bearing adequate coordination sites allows for the adaptation to different metal ions by constitutional variation. The system thus performs information storage, recall, and erase processes.

Training a Constitutional Dynamic Network for Effector Recognition: Storage, Recall, and Erasing of Information.

Chemical networks and molecular switches dominate the area of research geared toward macroscopic motion of materials. A counter-intuitive approach to create self-sustained oscillation by light irradiation of ordinary photostabilizers in splay-aligned liquid-crystalline networks made from commercial mesogens is developed. Photostabilizers or any molecules that are able to quickly dissipate the absorbed light through heat, by vibrational and/or rotational modes, can reach self-oscillating macroscopic motion where self-shadowing plays a critical role. The mechanical self-oscillation is linked to temperature oscillations and the asymmetric response over the film thickness. Only a localized responsive zone, acting as hinge, activates the oscillation of a beam-shaped device. The outcome of this research is extended from UV to near-IR actuation, making bulk applications to convert sunlight into mechanical work within reach.

Mastering the Photothermal Effect in Liquid Crystal Networks: A General Approach for Self-Sustained Mechanical Oscillators.

Corrigendum: Strain-Induced Reactivity in the Dynamic Covalent Chemistry of Macrocyclic Imines.

Supramolecular copolymers, non-covalent analogues of synthetic copolymers, constitute a new and promising class of polymers. In contrast to their covalent counterparts, the details of their mechanism of formation, as well as the factors determining their composition and length, are still poorly understood. Here, the supramolecular copolymerization between two slightly structurally different benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide (BTA) monomers functionalized with either oligodimethylsiloxane (oDMSi) or alkyl side chains is unraveled by combining experimental and theoretical approaches. By applying the "sergeant-and-soldiers" approach using circular dichroism (CD) experiments, we are able to obtain detailed insights into the structure and composition of these supramolecular copolymers. Moreover, we observe an unexpected chiral induction upon mixing two independently CD-silent solutions of the achiral (soldier) and chiral (sergeant) monomers. We find that the subtle differences in the chemical structure of the two monomers impact their homopolymerization mechanism: whereas alkyl-BTAs cooperatively self-assemble, oDMSi-BTAs self-assemble in an isodesmic manner. The effect of these mechanistic differences in the supramolecular copolymerization process is investigated as a function of the composition of the two monomers and explicitly rationalized by mathematical modeling. The results show that, at low fractions of oDMSi-BTA sergeants (<10 mol%), the polymerization process is cooperative and the supramolecular helicity is biased toward the helical preference of the sergeant. However, at higher fractions of oDMSi-BTA sergeant (>25 mol%), the isodesmic assembly of the increasing amounts of sergeant becomes more dominant, and different species start to coexist in the copolymerization process. The analysis of the experimental data with a newly developed theoretical model allows us to quantify the thermodynamic parameters, the distribution of different species, and the compositions and stack lengths of the formed supramolecular copolymers existing at various feed ratios of the two monomers.

Supramolecular Copolymers: Structure and Composition Revealed by Theoretical Modeling.

Oscillating materials that adapt their shapes in response to external stimuli are of interest for emerging applications in medicine and robotics. For example, liquid-crystal networks can be programmed to undergo stimulus-induced deformations in various geometries, including in response to light. Azobenzene molecules are often incorporated into liquid-crystal polymer films to make them photoresponsive; however, in most cases only the bending responses of these films have been studied, and relaxation after photo-isomerization is rather slow. Modifying the core or adding substituents to the azobenzene moiety can lead to marked changes in photophysical and photochemical properties, providing an opportunity to circumvent the use of a complex set-up that involves multiple light sources, lenses or mirrors. Here, by incorporating azobenzene derivatives with fast cis-to-trans thermal relaxation into liquid-crystal networks, we generate photoactive polymer films that exhibit continuous, directional, macroscopic mechanical waves under constant light illumination, with a feedback loop that is driven by self-shadowing. We explain the mechanism of wave generation using a theoretical model and numerical simulations, which show good qualitative agreement with our experiments. We also demonstrate the potential application of our photoactive films in light-driven locomotion and self-cleaning surfaces, and anticipate further applications in fields such as photomechanical energy harvesting and miniaturized transport.

Making waves in a photoactive polymer film.

We report on the fabrication of a rewritable and reprogrammable dual photoresponsive liquid crystalline-based actuator containing an azomerocyanine dye that can be locally converted into the hydroxyazopyridium form by acid treatment. Each dye absorbs at a different wavelength giving access to programmable actuators of which the folding can be controlled by different colors of light. The acidic patterning is reversible and allows to erase and re-write new patterns in the polymer film, giving access to reusable, adjustable soft actuators.

Ghislaine Vantomme

Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS),
Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry,
Laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Chemistry,
Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Chemistry

Technical University of Eindhoven

Preparation of Liquid Crystal Networks for Macroscopic Oscillatory Motion Induced by Light