Amphiphilic polymer conetworks were prepared, characterized and used as highly activating matrices for phase transfer reactions. Several applications such as biocatalysis in organic solvents, metathesis reactions in water, biosensor designs for detecting metabolites in organic solvents, as well as gas sensor designs are discussed. Copyright © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Donor-acceptor Stenhouse adducts (DASAs) are visible-light-responsive photoswitches with a variety of emerging applications in photoresponsive materials. Their two-step modular synthesis, centered on the nucleophilic ring opening of an activated furan, makes DASAs readily accessible. However, the use of less reactive donors or acceptors renders the process slow and low yielding, which has limited their development. We demonstrate here that 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) promotes the ring-opening reaction and stabilizes the open isomer, allowing greatly reduced reaction times and increased yields for known derivatives. In addition, it provides access to previously unattainable DASA-based photoswitches and DASA-polymer conjugates. The role of HFIP and the photochromic properties of a set of new DASAs is probed using a combination of ¹ H NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The use of sterically hindered, electron-poor amines enabled the dark equilibrium to be decoupled from closed-isomer half-lives for the first time.

Donor-acceptor Stenhouse adduct (DASA) photoswitches have gained a lot of attention since their discovery in 2014. Their negative photochromism, visible light absorbance, synthetic tunability, and the large property changes between their photoisomers make them attractive candidates over other commonly used photoswitches for use in materials with responsive or adaptive properties. The development of such materials and their translation into advanced technologies continues to widely impact forefront materials research, and DASAs have thus attracted considerable interest in the field of visible-light responsive molecular switches and dynamic materials. Despite this interest, there have been challenges in understanding their complex behavior in the context of both small molecule studies and materials. Moreover, incorporation of DASAs into polymers can be challenging due to their incompatibility with the conditions for most common polymerization techniques. In this review, therefore, we examine and critically discuss the recent developments and challenges in the field of DASA-containing polymers, aiming at providing a better understanding of the interplay between the properties of both constituents (matrix and photoswitch). The first part summarizes current understanding of DASA design and switching properties. The second section discusses strategies of incorporation of DASAs into polymers, properties of DASA-containing materials, and methods for studying switching of DASAs in materials. We also discuss emerging applications for DASA photoswitches in polymeric materials, ranging from light-responsive drug delivery systems, to photothermal actuators, sensors and photoswitchable surfaces. Last, we summarize the current challenges in the field and venture on the steps required to explore novel systems and expand both the functional properties and the application opportunities of DASA-containing polymers.

Transient activation of biochemical reactions by visible light and subsequent return to the inactive state in the absence of light is an essential feature of the biochemical processes in photoreceptor cells. To mimic such light-responsiveness with artificial nanosystems, polymersome nanoreactors were developed that can be switched on by visible light and self-revert fast in the dark at room temperature to their inactive state. Donor-acceptor Stenhouse adducts (DASAs), with their ability to isomerize upon irradiation with visible light, were employed to change the permeability of polymersome membranes by switching polarity from a nonpolar triene-enol form to a cyclopentenone with increased polarity. To this end, amphiphilic block copolymers containing poly(pentafluorophenyl methacrylate) in their hydrophobic block were synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) radical polymerization and functionalized either with a DASA that is based on Meldrum's acid or with a novel fast-switching pyrazolone-based DASA. These polymers were self-assembled into vesicles. Release of hydrophilic payload could be triggered by light and stopped as soon as the light was turned off. The encapsulation of enzymes yielded photoresponsive nanoreactors that catalyzed reactions only if they were irradiated with light. A mixture of polymersome nanoreactors, one that switches in green light, the other switching in red light, permitted specific control of the individual reactions of a reaction cascade in one pot by irradiation with varied wavelengths, thus enabling light-controlled wavelength-selective catalysis. The DASA-based nanoreactors demonstrate the potential of DASAs to switch permeability of membranes and could find application to switch reactions on and off, on demand, e.g., in microfluidics or in drug delivery.

A modular synthesis of Donor-Acceptor Stenhouse Adduct (DASA) polymer conjugates is described. Pentafluorophenyl-ester chemistry is employed to incorporate aromatic amines into acrylate and methacrylate copolymers, which are subsequently coupled with activated furans to generate polymers bearing a range of DASA units in a modular manner. The effect of polymer glass transition temperature on switching kinetics is studied, showing dramatic rate enhancements in going from a glassy to a rubbery matrix. Moreover, tuning the DASA absorption profile allows for selective switching, as demonstrated by ternary photopatterning, with potential applications in rewriteable data storage.