Solar Azo-Switches for Effective EâZ Photoisomerization by Sunlight.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl
; : e202404528, 2024 May 09.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38722260
ABSTRACT
Natural photoactive systems have evolved to harness broad-spectrum light from solar radiation for critical functions such as light perception and photosynthetic energy conversion. Molecular photoswitches, which undergo structural changes upon light absorption, are artificial photoactive tools widely used for developing photoresponsive systems and converting light energy. However, photoswitches generally need to be activated by light of specific narrow wavelength ranges for effective photoconversion, which limits their ability to directly work under sunlight and to efficiently harvest solar energy. Here, focusing on azo-switches-the most extensively studied photoswitches, we demonstrate effective solar EâZ photoisomerization with photoconversions exceeding 80 % under unfiltered sunlight. These sunlight-driven azo-switches are developed by rendering the absorption of E isomers overwhelmingly stronger than that of Z isomers across a broad ultraviolet to visible spectrum. This unusual type of spectral profile is realized by a simple yet highly adjustable molecular design strategy, enabling the fine-tuning of spectral window that extends light absorption beyond 600â
nm. Notably, back-photoconversion can be achieved without impairing the forward solar isomerization, resulting in unique light-reversible solar switches. Such exceptional solar chemistry of photoswitches provides unprecedented opportunities for developing sustainable light-driven systems and efficient solar energy technologies.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article