Photoswitchable Sol–Gel Transitions and Catalysis Mediated by Polymer Networks with Coumarin‐Decorated Cu₂₄L₂₄ Metal–Organic Cages as Junctions

Abstract

Photoresponsive materials that change in response to light have been studied for a range of applications. These materials are often metastable during irradiation, returning to their pre-irradiated state after removal of the light source. Herein, we report a polymer gel comprising poly(ethylene glycol) star polymers linked by Cu₂₄ L₂₄ metal-organic cages/polyhedra (MOCs) with coumarin ligands. In the presence of UV light, a photosensitizer, and a hydrogen donor, this "polyMOC" material can be reversibly switched between Cu^II , Cu^I , and Cu⁰ . The instability of the MOC junctions in the Cu^I and Cu⁰ states leads to network disassembly, forming Cu^I /Cu⁰ solutions, respectively, that are stable until re-oxidation to Cu^II and supramolecular gelation. This reversible disassembly of the polyMOC network can occur in the presence of a fixed covalent second network generated in situ by copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC), providing interpenetrating supramolecular and covalent networks.