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Type: 
Journal
Description: 
Inspired by the complex molecular machines found in nature, chemists have developed much simpler molecular motors.[1–3] Among them, several systems incorporating azobenzene have been proposed, which exploit the reversible trans–cis isomerization triggered by light [4] or an electric field [5] for applications such as optical data-storage devices,[6] switchable supramolecular cavities, and sensors.[7] Recently, it has been demonstrated that the photoisomerization process of individual polymer chains incorporating azobenzenes can express mechanical work.[8] In light of these findings, one can foresee self-assembled monolayers (SAMs)[9, 10] of aromatic azobenzenes as molecular systems able to express forces of unprecedented magnitude by exploiting a collective subnanometer structural change. We recently designed a rigid and fully conjugated azobenzene exposing a thiol anchoring group,[11] which …
Publisher: 
WILEY‐VCH Verlag
Publication date: 
21 Apr 2008
Authors: 

Violetta Ferri, Mark Elbing, Giuseppina Pace, Michael D Dickey, Michael Zharnikov, Paolo Samorì, Marcel Mayor, Maria Anita Rampi

Biblio References: 
Volume: 120 Issue: 18 Pages: 3455-3457
Origin: 
Angewandte Chemie