Department of Chemistry - PhD Student Seminar - Photoswitchable Cages for Smart Catalysis

Student: Ms. Jiarong ZHANG

Department: Department of Chemistry, HKUST

Supervisor: Prof. Guocheng JIA

Abstract

Stimuli-responsive catalysts that can be dynamically controlled by external inputs represent a frontier in modern chemistry. Metal-organic cages (MOCs)—discrete, soluble supramolecular assemblies with well-defined nanoscale cavities—offer an ideal platform for developing such systems, as their modular structures allow for the integration of photochromic moieties into ligand backbones.

This seminar explores how photoswitchable MOCs can be engineered as programmable catalysts, organized around three progressive layers: (i) Smart Response—how light induces structural changes in cages (conformational switching, assembly/disassembly, and dissipative assembly) through representative bi-stable (DTE), metastable (azobenzene-based), and dissipative (diazocine-based) systems; (ii) Smart Function—how these structural changes enable catalytic functions, including photophysical tuning, hierarchical structuring, and multi-pocket synergy; and (iii) Smart Programming—the ultimate goal of reaction pathway switching, exemplified by a viologen-functionalized lanthanide cage that achieves divergent synthesis from the same substrate simply by turning the light on or off.

This presentation demonstrates the evolution of MOCs from static containers to programmable molecular machines, offering new paradigms for sustainable and controllable catalysis. Key findings are drawn from recent advances in supramolecular chemistry, including visible-light ON/OFF catalysis, light-fueled dissipative assembly, and photoswitchable divergent synthesis.