The ability to manipulate the structure and function of promising nanosystems via energy input and external stimuli is emerging as an attractive paradigm for developing reconfigurable and programmable nanomaterials and multifunctional devices. Light stimulus manifestly represents a preferred external physical and chemical tool for in situ remote command of the functional attributes of nanomaterials and nanosystems due to its unique advantages of high spatial and temporal resolution and digital controllability. Photochromic moieties are known to undergo reversible photochemical transformations between different states with distinct properties, which have been extensively introduced into various functional nanosystems such as nanomachines, nanoparticles, nanoelectronics, supramolecular nanoassemblies, and biological nanosystems. The integration of photochromism into these nanosystems has endowed the resultant nanostructures or advanced materials with intriguing photoresponsive behaviors and more sophisticated functions. In this Review, we provide an account of the recent advancements in reversible photocontrol of the structures and functions of photochromic nanosystems and their applications. The important design concepts of such truly advanced materials are discussed, their fabrication methods are emphasized, and their applications are highlighted. The Review is concluded by briefly outlining the challenges that need to be addressed and the opportunities that can be tapped into. We hope that the review of the flourishing and vibrant topic with myriad possibilities would shine light on exploring the future nanoworld by encouraging and opening the windows to meaningful multidisciplinary cooperation of engineers from different backgrounds and scientists from the fields such as chemistry, physics, engineering, biology, nanotechnology and materials science.

Photochromism into nanosystems: towards lighting up the future nanoworld.

Currently, the development of circularly polarized luminescent (CPL) materials has drawn extensive attention due to the numerous potential applications in optical data storage, displays, backlights in 3D displays, and so on. While the fabrication of CPL-active materials generally requires chiral luminescent molecules, the introduction of the "self-assembly" concept offers a new perspective in obtaining the CPL-active materials. Following this approach, various self-assembled materials, including organic-, inorganic-, and hybrid systems can be endowed with CPL properties. Benefiting from the advantages of self-assembly, not only chiral molecules, but also achiral species, as well as inorganic nanoparticles have potential to be self-assembled into chiral nanoassemblies showing CPL activity. In addition, the dissymmetry factor, an important parameter of CPL materials, can be enhanced through various pathways of self-assembly. Here, the present status and progress of self-assembled nanomaterials with CPL activity are reviewed. An overview of the key factors in regulating chiral emission materials at the supramolecular level will largely boost their application in multidisciplinary fields.

Circularly Polarized Luminescence in Nanoassemblies: Generation, Amplification, and Application.

Chiroptical switches, whose chiral optical signals such as optical rotatory dispersion (ORD), circular dichroism (CD) and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) are reversibly interchangeable between two states, offer many promising applications in the fields of chiral sensing, optical displays, information storage, asymmetric catalysis and so on. Through various non-covalent interactions, supramolecular chiroptical switches have been constructed by combining the chiral and responsive functional components. This review summarizes the recent progress in the construction of supramolecular chiroptical switchable systems that reversibly respond to various stimuli, such as light, electricity, magnetic fields, mechanical force, solvents, pH, temperature, and chemical additives. The switching of supramolecular chirality in the forms of on/off, amplification/weakening and chirality inversion is shown. Additionally, the design of chiroptical switchable systems for chiral logic gates, data communication, chiral separation and asymmetric catalysis has been demonstrated. Future challenges in developing supramolecular chiroptical switches are also discussed.

Supramolecular chiroptical switches.

A novel single organic molecule–carborane conjugate, CAN, was synthesized in a high yield via a modified nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction incorporating an anthracene unit and an o-carborane moiety. CAN exhibits multiple functions of tricolored mechanochromism and mechanically triggered thermochromism. The fluorescence could be switched from blue to bright yellow then to pink by grinding. The robust and reversible thermochromic process was triggered by the mechanical force. The locally excited (LE) state emission, intermolecular excimer formation and twisted intermolecular charge transfer (TICT) are the primary origins of this tricolor switching property. High temperature sensitivity of the heavily ground CAN powders contribute to the mechanical force induced TICT emission enhancement and color switching.

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Mechanically triggered reversible stepwise tricolor switching and thermochromism of anthracene-o-carborane dyad.

Circularly polarized light exhibits promising applications in future displays and photonic technologies. Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) from chiral luminophores is an ideal approach to directly generating circularly polarized light, in which the energy loss induced by the circularly polarized filters can be reduced. Among various chiral luminophores, organic micro-/nano-structures have attracted increasing attention owing to the high quantum efficiency and luminescence dissymmetry factor. Herein, the recent progress of CPL from organic micro-/nano-structures is summarized. Firstly, the design principles of CPL-active organic micro-/nano-structures are expounded from the construction of micro-/nano-structure and the introduction of chirality. Based on these design principles, several typical organic micro-/nano-structures with CPL activity are introduced in detail, including self-assembly of small molecules, self-assembly of π-conjugated polymers, and self-assembly on micro-/nanoscale architectures. Subsequently, we discuss the external stimuli that can regulate CPL performance, including solvents, pH value, metal ions, mechanical force, and temperature. We also summarize the applications of CPL-active materials in organic light-emitting diodes, optical information processing, and chemical and biological sensing. Finally, the current challenges and prospects in this emerging field are presented. It is expected that this review will provide a guide for the design of excellent CPL-active materials.

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Circularly polarized luminescence from organic micro-/nano-structures.

Enantiomeric glutamate gelators containing a spiropyran moiety are designed and found to self-assemble into a nanohelix through gelation Upon alternating UV and visible light irradiation, the spiropyran experiences a reversible change between a blue zwitterionic merocyanine state and a colorless closed ring state spiropyran in supramolecular gels This photochromic switch causes a series of subsequent changes in the optical, chiroptical, morphological properties from supramolecular to macroscopic levels While the solution of the gelator molecules does not show any circular dichroism (CD) signal in the region of 250–700 nm due to the fact that the chromophore is far from the chiral center, the gel shows chiroptical signals such as CD and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) because of the chirality transfer by the self-assembly These signals are reversible upon alternating UV/vis irradiation Therefore, a quadruple optical and chiroptical switch is developed successfully During such process, the self-assembled nanostructures from the enantiomeric supramolecular gels also undergo a reversible change between helices and fibers under the alternating UV and visible light trigger Furthermore, a rewritable material fabricated from their xerogels on a glass is developed Such rewritable material can be efficiently printed over 30 cycles without significant loss in contrast and resolution using UV and visible light

Sheng Wang

Papers

Reversible Quadruple Switching with Optical, Chiroptical, Helicity, and Macropattern in Self-Assembled Spiropyran Gels