Synthesis, photoisomerization behavior and liquid-crystalline properties of azobenzenes attached on the surface of gold nanoparticles

摘要

An azobenzene liquid crystal attached to gold nanoparticles with average diameter of 3.5 ± 1.1 nm was synthesized. The gold nanoparticles prepared in this study were soluble in common non-polar organic solvents such as toluene, chloroform and so on, but not soluble in polar solvents. The particles exhibited their absorption maximum at around 500 nm due to surface plasmon resonance. We confirmed that the reversible photochemical and thermal isomerization of the azobenzene moieties could also be induced on the surface of the gold nanoparticles by UV irradiation. Furthermore, the azobenzene LCs used in this study showed LC behavior even if they attached to the gold nanoparticles.