Liquid crystalline microspheres of azobenzene amphiphiles formed by thermally induced pH changes in binary water–hydrolytic ionic liquid media

Abstract

Anionic azobenzene-containing bilayered membranes dispersed in binary water–ionic liquid (IL) media undergo proton-responsive transformation into liquid crystalline microspheres (LCMs). This transformation was induced by protons released by the heat-induced hydrolysis of tetrafluoroborate ions in the ILs. This work demonstrates the first beneficial use of hydrolysis-susceptible ILs in chemistry.