Photofunctional Vesicles Containing Prussian Blue and Azobenzene

Abstract

The intercalation of inorganic materials into organized organic assemblies presents many opportunities for the development of new functional materials with superior physicochemical properties. We have designed a composite material comprising Prussian blue intercalated into photoresponsive organic molecules (azobenzene-containing multibilayer vesicles). Photoisomerization in the solid system was achieved by diluting the azobenzene-containing bilayer membrane in a poly(vinyl alcohol) matrix. The photoisomerization of the film was accompanied by a geometrically confined structural change within the vesicles, as reflected by changes in the dipole moment and electrostatic field. As a result, we were able to control the magnetic properties of this material by photoillumination.