TY - JOUR
T1 - Design and study of a photo-switchable polymeric system in the presence of ZnS nanoparticles under the influence of UV light irradiation
AU - Pizarro, Guadalupe Del C.
AU - Alavia, Wilson
AU - González, Karen
AU - Díaz, Héctor
AU - Marambio, Oscar G.
AU - Martin-Trasanco, Rudy
AU - Sánchez, Julio
AU - Oyarzún, Diego P.
AU - Neira-Carrillo, Andrónico
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding: The authors acknowledge the financial assistance of the fund Scientific and Technological Equipment, code LE19-01, Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana (UTEM). This study was also financially supported by the Chilean Agency for Research and Development (ANID), 1191336 for technical assistance.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2022/2/26
Y1 - 2022/2/26
N2 - Recent progress in the field of photosensitive materials has prompted a need to develop efficient methods to synthesize materials with basic intermolecular architectural designs and novel properties. Accordingly, in this work we design and study a photoactive polymer as a photoswitchable polymeric system in the presence and absence of ZnS nanoparticles (average size < 10 nm) at 5 wt.%. The influence of UV light irradiation on its properties were also studied. The photoactive block copolymer was obtained from styrene (S) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) as monomers and 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3,3-dimethylindoline-6-nitrobenzopyran (SP) was grafted to the block copolymer backbone as a photochromic agent. Furthermore, the incorporation of ZnS (NPs) as photo-optical switch component into the system enhances the purple colored photo-emission, with the open form of the spiropyran derivative (merocyanine, MC). The ZnS stabilize the isomeric equilibrium in the MC interconversion of the photochromic agent. The photo-switchable properties of the PS-b-PMMA-SP in the presence of ZnS (NPs) were examined using UV-VIS spectroscopy, Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, optical fluorescence and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM-EDX.). The observed changes in the absorbance, fluorescence and morphology of the system were associated to the reversible interconversion of the two states of the photochromic agent which regulates the radiative deactivation of the luminescent ZnS NPs component. After UV irradiation the photoactive polymer becomes purple in color. Therefore, these basic studies can lead to the development of innovative functional and nanostructured materials with photosensitive character as photosensitive molecular switches.
AB - Recent progress in the field of photosensitive materials has prompted a need to develop efficient methods to synthesize materials with basic intermolecular architectural designs and novel properties. Accordingly, in this work we design and study a photoactive polymer as a photoswitchable polymeric system in the presence and absence of ZnS nanoparticles (average size < 10 nm) at 5 wt.%. The influence of UV light irradiation on its properties were also studied. The photoactive block copolymer was obtained from styrene (S) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) as monomers and 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3,3-dimethylindoline-6-nitrobenzopyran (SP) was grafted to the block copolymer backbone as a photochromic agent. Furthermore, the incorporation of ZnS (NPs) as photo-optical switch component into the system enhances the purple colored photo-emission, with the open form of the spiropyran derivative (merocyanine, MC). The ZnS stabilize the isomeric equilibrium in the MC interconversion of the photochromic agent. The photo-switchable properties of the PS-b-PMMA-SP in the presence of ZnS (NPs) were examined using UV-VIS spectroscopy, Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, optical fluorescence and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM-EDX.). The observed changes in the absorbance, fluorescence and morphology of the system were associated to the reversible interconversion of the two states of the photochromic agent which regulates the radiative deactivation of the luminescent ZnS NPs component. After UV irradiation the photoactive polymer becomes purple in color. Therefore, these basic studies can lead to the development of innovative functional and nanostructured materials with photosensitive character as photosensitive molecular switches.
KW - light-sensitive materials
KW - morphological surface characteristic
KW - photo-switchable properties
KW - photoactive polymeric system
KW - spiropyrans
U2 - 10.3390/polym14050945
DO - 10.3390/polym14050945
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85125558741
SN - 2073-4360
VL - 14
JO - Polymers
JF - Polymers
IS - 5
M1 - 945
ER -