Solar Azo-Switches for Effective E→Z Photoisomerization by Sunlight

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...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2024-07, Vol.63 (31), p.e202404528
Main Authors: Zhang, Zhao-Yang, Dong, Dongfang, Bösking, Tom, Dang, Tongtong, Liu, Chunhao, Sun, Wenjin, Xie, Mingchen, Hecht, Stefan, Li, Tao
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Absorption
Electromagnetic absorption
Energy conversion
Energy harvesting
Energy technology
Isomerization
Isomers
Light
Solar energy
Solar energy conversion
Solar radiation
Sunlight
Switches
Ultraviolet spectra
Visible spectrum
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary: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 E→Z 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 600 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.
ISSN:1433-7851
1521-3773
1521-3773
DOI:10.1002/anie.202404528