Research Description
Photoresponsive surfactants contain photoresponsive moieties, such as azobenzene and stilbene groups, in the hydrophobic tail of the molecules. Photoresponsive surfactants often have two kinds of isomers, trans- and cis- respectively. The photoresponsive moieties will undergo an isomerization process under appropriate light illumination. The structural change from trans- to cis-isomer during isomerization has a significant influence on the properties of the surfactant. This property can be used in various applications, especially for the cases to control the surface and solution properties, such as the pumping and control of flow in microfluidic devices for microchemical analysis of complex fluids, flow cytometry, rapid DNA screening, etc. However, the mechanisms for the remarkable surface property and aggregate change during isomerization and the rules for molecular design have yet to be determined.
This research will focus on the study of the fundamental knowledge of a series of photoresponsive surfactants. New photoresponsive surfactants will be synthesized and characterized. The surface structures of the surfactants between different interfaces and the changes of those structures during isomerization will be studied to determine how the photoresponsive surfactants influence the surface properties and what change controls the property change during isomerization. Micelle structure in solution for both isomers and micelle dynamics during isomerization will be explored. In all cases, the influence of the molecular structures on the properties of the photoresponsive surfactants will be studied to elucidate the functions of different groups in the surfactant molecules and thereby enable efficient surfactant design.
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Magnetic Fluids 
