Researchers know how to bend molecules indirectly with safe red light

Red-light excited porphyrin donates its energy to a twisted azobenzene to turn it into a planar one. Image source: Nikita Durandin and Jussi Isokuortti / Tampere University and Pixabay.

Researchers at Tampere University developed an approach to switch the molecules called azobenzenes from one geometrical state to another with red or near-infrared light without their direct excitation. This approach enables low energy switching that can give new tools to work with soft robotics and activate drugs with light.

SPM group in collaboration with Dr. Nikita Durandin from Supramolecular Chemistry of Bio- and Nanomaterials group, led by Prof. Timo Laaksonen recently published  the scientific article on the research Expanding excitation wavelengths for azobenzene photoswitching into the near-infrared range via endothermic triplet energy transfer in flagship journal of Royal Society of Chemistry “Chemical Science”. Read more…