Unexpected monolayer-to-bilayer transition of arylazopyrazole surfactants facilitates superior photo-control of fluid interfaces and colloids
Open Access
- 28 February 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) in Chemical Science
- Vol. 11 (8), 2085-2092
- https://doi.org/10.1039/c9sc05490a
Abstract
Interfaces that can change their chemistry on demand have huge potential for applications and are prerequisites for responsive or adaptive materials. We report on the performance of a newly designed n-butyl-arylazopyrazole butyl sulfonate (butyl-AAP-C4S) surfactant that can change its structure at the air-water interface by E/Z photo-isomerization in an unprecedented way. Large and reversible changes in surface tension (Delta gamma = 27 mN m(-1)) and surface excess (Delta Gamma > 2.9 mu mol m(-2)) demonstrate superior performance of the butyl-AAP-C4S amphiphile to that of existing ionic surfactants. Neutron reflectometry and vibrational sum-frequency generation spectroscopy reveal that these large changes are caused by an unexpected monolayer-to-bilayer transition. This exceptional behavior is further shown to have dramatic consequences at larger length scales as highlighted by applications like the light-triggered collapse of aqueous foam which is tuned from high (>1 h) to low (<10 min) stabilities and light-actuated particle motion via Marangoni flows.Funding Information
- H2020 European Research Council (638278)
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB 585)
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