Visible-Light Azoarene Photoswitch Engineering by Heteroaryl Design

Abstract

Photoswitchable molecules that respond to visible light offer promising area in materials science, life science and medicine.Compared to UV-responsive switches, visible-light photoswitches afford deeper penetration, reduced phototoxicity and better biocompatibility. Recent advances in molecular design have led to significant progress in the development of efficient visible-light-activated photoswitches. This review summarizes the fundamental principles of photoswitching under visible light and highlights molecular engineering strategies such as quantum chemical design and data-driven machine learning design that have enabled red-shifted absorption, enhanced thermal stability, and efficient photoisomerization in azoarenes.Updated syntehtic methods for the heteroaryl photoswitches also briefly mentioned. At the end, we discuss challenges associated and future possibilities for integrating the photoswitches for biomedical applications.