Harnessing Azobenzene Photoswitching to Control Ion Transport in Polymer Networks

Azobenzene, a versatile compound capable of reversible photoswitching between its trans and cis isomers upon exposure to specific wavelengths of light, presents unique opportunities to amplify molecular-level transformations into macroscopic property changes in polymers. In ion-containing systems, the configurational switching of azobenzene can be harnessed to dynamically tune both specific ionic interactions and chain mobility to dramatically alter overall ionic conductivity. Here, we present a method to directly polymerize azobenzene-tethered ionic liquid units into polymer matrices, enabling the use of light to control ion transport. Our findings demonstrate that isomerization to the cis configuration leads to an effective enhancement in ionic conductivity, attributed to the modulation of specific intermolecular interactions that govern ion mobility. In addition, by strategically modifying azobenzene geometry and network architecture, we investigate how these adjustments influence both the bulk electrochemical and thermomechanical properties of these materials. We anticipate that this work could find exciting applications in next-generation electronics, such as flexible batteries, sensors, and actuators, where light-driven control of ion transport could offer advantages in performance and adaptability.