Azobenzene-functionalized metal-organic polyhedra for the optically responsive capture and release of guest molecules

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/anie.201310211

Stimuli-responsive metal-organic polyhedra (srMOPs) functionalized with azobenzene showed UV-irradiation-induced isomerization from the insoluble trans-srMOP to the soluble cis-srMOP, whereas irradiation with blue light reversed this process. Guest molecules were trapped and released upon cis-to-trans and trans-to-cis isomerization of the srMOPs, respectively. This study provides a new direction in the ever-diversifying field of MOPs, while laying the groundwork for a new class of optically responsive materials. Lock in the guests, later set them free: Stimuli-responsive metal-organic polyhedra (srMOPs) functionalized with azobenzene showed UV-light-induced isomerization from insoluble srMOPs substituted with trans-azobenzene to soluble srMOPs with cis-azobenzene units; irradiation with blue light reversed this process (see picture). Guest molecules were trapped upon cis-to-trans and released upon trans-to-cis isomerization of the azobenzene units.

Full text of DOI:10.1002/anie.201310211

Angewandte
Chemie
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201310211
Metal–Organic Frameworks
Azobenzene-Functionalized Metal–Organic Polyhedra for the
Optically Responsive Capture and Release of Guest Molecules**
Jinhee Park, Lin-Bing Sun, Ying-Pin Chen, Zachary Perry, and Hong-Cai Zhou*
Abstract: Stimuli-responsive metal–organic polyhedra
(srMOPs) functionalized with azobenzene showed UV-irradi-
ation-induced isomerization from the insoluble trans-srMOP
to the soluble cis-srMOP, whereas irradiation with blue light
reversed this process. Guest molecules were trapped and
released upon cis-to-trans and trans-to-cis isomerization of
the srMOPs, respectively. This study provides a new direction
in the ever-diversifying field of MOPs, while laying the
groundwork for a new class of optically responsive materials.
isomerization.[8] Upon irradiation with UV and visible light,
azobenzene and its derivatives undergo reversible trans–cis
isomerization, which alters the distance between the two end
para carbon atoms from 9 to 5.5 ꢀ and the dipole moment
from 0.52 to 3.08 D.[8c] On the basis of the photochemical and
photophysical properties of azobenzene, optically triggered
solubility changes of polymers, morphological changes of
micelles, and gas-adsorption changes in metal–organic frame-
works (MOFs) have been widely investigated.[9]
Self-assembled molecular cages have attracted consider-
able research attention as a result of their aesthetic structures
and intriguing potential for a wide range of applications, such
as gas storage, separation, drug delivery, and catalysis.[10]
Among these cages, metal–organic polyhedra (MOPs) con-
sisting of metal and organic components can be structurally
tuned through both inorganic and organic syntheses.[11] The
judicious choice of functional groups on geometrically fixed
building blocks can precisely tune the functions and proper-
ties of the MOPs, thus enabling them to respond to external
stimuli.[12] A MOP built with a bulky organic linker was found
by our research group to exhibit a thermally sensitive
molecular-sieving effect.[13] Previously, a MOP for the con-
trolled capture and release of guest molecules upon irradi-
ation with light has rarely been reported.[6a] Herein we report
for the first time optically responsive MOPs derived from
organic linkers containing azobenzene units. Because MOPs
are suitable for capturing guest molecules, such as gas, drug,
and dye molecules, the capture and release of the guest
molecules becomes controllable through the isomerization of
the azobenzene units.
As compared with other types of MOPs, cuboctahedra
contain more organic linkers.[11a] The presence of these 24
organic linkers increases the isomerization effect of the
pendent azobenzene units. A ligand with a 1208 bridging
angle, 2,4-dimethylphenyldiazenylisophthalate (L1), was syn-
thesized on the basis of the Mills reaction.[14] The trans-to-cis
isomerization of L1 upon exposure to UV light (365 nm) was
confirmed by 1H NMR spectroscopy (Figure 1a; see also
Figure S10 in the Supporting Information). A reaction
between Cu(OAc)2 and the acidic form of the ligand afforded
a green precipitate, srMOP-1 (srMOP stands for stimuli-
responsive MOP). The as-synthesized srMOP-1 was soluble in
chloroform. Vapor diffusion of diethyl ether into a solution of
srMOP-1 in chloroform yielded crystalline srMOP-1. How-
ever, owing to light-induced isomerization of L1, it was
difficult to grow crystals large and robust enough for structure
determination, even under light- and temperature-controlled
conditions. Our previous report showed that coordination
assemblies are generally determined by the bridging angle of
the organic linker.[11b] On the basis of this knowledge, we used
T
remendous research effort has been devoted to the study of
stimuli-responsive materials because of their potential appli-
cations in drug delivery, adaptable surface coating, and
molecular machines.[1] As compared with traditional stimuli,
such as a change in temperature[2] or pH value,[3] electric or
magnetic fields,[4] and chemicals,[5] light has distinct advan-
tages. Light with wavelengths near the visible region is
generally nondestructive, has high spatial and periodic
resolution, and generates few side products. Since optically
responsive materials can function more accurately and
predictably, systems for the capture and release of guest
molecules upon irradiation with light have played a significant
role in drug-delivery studies.[6] For example, light-induced
coumarin release was demonstrated in polymeric micelles
consisting of photochromic spiropyran units.[7]
Azobenzene is one of the most studied light-responsive
units owing to its robustness, as well as rapid and reversible
[*] Dr. J. Park
Nano Hybrid Technology Research Center
Creative and Fundamental Research Division
Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute
Changwon, 641-120 (Republic of Korea)
Dr. L.-B. Sun, Y.-P. Chen, Z. Perry, Prof. Dr. H.-C. Zhou
Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77842 (USA)
E-mail: zhou@tamu.edu
Y.-P. Chen, Prof. Dr. H.-C. Zhou
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843 (USA)
[**] This research was partially supported as part of the Center for Gas
Separations Relevant to Clean Energy Technologies, an Energy
Frontier Research Center funded by the US Department of Energy
(DOE), Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under
Award Number DE-SC0001015. We also acknowledge the US DOE
(DE-AR000073 and DE-FC36-07GO17033), the National Science
Foundation (NSF CBET-0930079), and the Welch Foundation (A-
1725). We thank Dr. Joseph P. Riebenspies for structure refinement
and advice in crystallography.
Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW
under http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.201310211.
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 1 – 6
ꢀ 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
1
These are not the final page numbers!

.
Angewandte
Communications
absorption band at 329 nm, the characteristic fea-
ture of the trans form, disappeared, and a new band
appeared at 440 nm, thus indicating the formation
of the cis form. When the photostationary state was
reached, the solution was irradiated with blue light,
and the band intensity at 329 nm was restored. This
result demonstrates the reversibility of the trans/cis
isomerization of srMOP-1 through alternating irra-
diation with UV and blue light.
As-synthesized srMOP-1 was soluble in chloro-
form but gradually precipitated under dark con-
ditions. Complete precipitation took more than
2 weeks. As confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction,
whereas as-synthesized srMOP-1 was amorphous,
the srMOP-1 precipitate was crystalline. We exam-
ined the porosity difference between amorphous
and crystalline srMOP-1 through N2 adsorption at
77 K. We activated a sample by treatment with
methanol to exchange the encapsulated and coor-
dinated solvents. The methanol-exchanged sample
was subsequently degassed under reduced pressure
at 1008C for 5 h. In the low-pressure region, the N2-
adsorption isotherm of amorphous srMOP-
1 showed a low and slow increase in uptake,
whereas crystalline srMOP-1 demonstrated
a steep increase in uptake (Figure 1d). The pore-
size distributions calculated from the N2-adsorption
isotherms at 77 K indicated that crystalline srMOP-
1 had enhanced microporosity as compared with
amorphous srMOP-1 (see Figures S22 and S23).
Figure 1. a) Light-induced trans/cis isomerization of 5-(2,4-dimethylphenyldiazenyl)-
isophthalic acid, H2L1. b) Crystal structure of srMOP-2 as an azobenzene-function-
alized cuboctahedral cage, as determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.
c) Absorption spectra of srMOP-1 with pendent azobenzene groups in chloroform:
in the dark after irradiation with blue light (red); after UV irradiation (black). The
inset shows the changes in absorbance at 329 nm of srMOP-1 in solution on
alternate irradiation with UV and blue light. d) N2-adsorption isotherm of crystalline
srMOP-1 and amorphous srMOP-1. Crystalline srMOP-1 shows enhanced micro-
porosity.
a mixture of two ligand precursors, 5-(p-tolyldiazenyl)isoph-
thalic acid (H2L2) and 5-tert-butylisophthalic acid (H2L3),
both with a 1208 bridging angle, to grow an analyzable crystal.
Vapor diffusion of diethyl ether into the mixture of H2L2,
H2L3, and Cu(OAc)2 in N,N-dimethylacetamide afforded
single crystals of srMOP-2 suitable for structure determina-
tion. Presumably, because the inclusion of L3 not only reduces
the inclusion of the azobenzene-containing ligand L2 but also
suppresses the isomerization of L2 from trans to cis owing to
steric hindrance by the surrounding tert-butyl groups of the L3
ligand, it leads to the formation of stable crystals.
In the crystal structure of srMOP-2, one dicopper (Cu2)
paddlewheel unit is assembled with four ligands. When the
ligands are viewed as linear edges and the Cu2 paddlewheel
units as vertices, 24 ligands and 12 Cu2 paddlewheel units form
a cuboctahedral cage (Figure 1b; shown in brown). In
srMOP-2, one third of the positions were occupied by L2,
whereas the rest were filled with L3 (see Figure S5). Similarly,
the assembly of L1 and a copper salt should lead to another
cuboctahedral cage, srMOP-1. The mass spectrum of srMOP-
1, which revealed a prominent peak for Cu24L124, strongly
supports such an assumption (see Figure S33). Furthermore,
images of srMOP-1 and srMOP-2 from transmission electron
microscopy also displayed well-defined cages with diameters
of 3.9–4.3 nm, in good agreement with the formation of the
cuboctahedral cages (see Figures S7 and S8).
Like srMOP-2, srMOP-1 contained a 14–16 ꢀ pore, which is
further evidence for the formation of the cuboctahedral cage
of srMOP-1 (see Figures S22, S23, and S24). Previously
reported MOFs containing a cuboctahedral cage as a building
unit, such as the PCN-6X series, showed a similar pore size
attributed to the presence of the cuboctahedral cage in the
structures.[15] Presumably, the larger microporosity content in
crystalline srMOP-1 originates from the long-range order,
whereas amorphous srMOP-1 is made from randomly ori-
ented cages, and as a result, adjacent cages can block pore
windows. Our recent study shows that a 1D polyhedral-cage
chain has a greatly increased gas uptake as compared with
discrete cages because interdigitation of the bulky groups
between adjacent cages hampers the rearrangement of the
cages during the activation process and gives a final structure
with a continuous open channel.[9e]
Interestingly, crystalline srMOP-1 in chloroform became
soluble upon UV irradiation. This increased solubility could
have two possible reasons. First, trans-to-cis isomerization of
the pendent azobenzene units on srMOP-1 weakens the
intercage interaction. In trans-srMOP-1, the dangling phenyl
groups of the azobenzene units point away from the cage and
increase interactions (e.g. p–p interactions) between the
MOPs. In contrast, cis-srMOP-1 has the dangling phenyl
groups bent toward its cage, thus decreasing interaction with
other MOPs. Second, owing to the larger dipole moment of
cis-azobenzene, cis-srMOP-1 has higher solubility in the polar
solvent as compared with trans-srMOP-l. Because the MOP
derived from L2 showed very low solubility in most conven-
The reversible isomerization of srMOP-1 was monitored
by UV/Vis spectroscopy (Figure 1c). When srMOP-1 in
chloroform was irradiated with UV light (365 nm), the
2
www.angewandte.org
ꢀ 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 1 – 6
These are not the final page numbers!

Angewandte
Chemie
tional solvents, we excluded this MOP from further inves-
tigation.
Such isomerization can be utilized for light-induced guest
release. Because isomerization of the pendent azobenzene
units cannot change the inner cavity of the cuboctahedral
cage of srMOP-1, small guest molecules captured within the
inner cavity cannot be influenced by trans-to-cis isomeriza-
tion of srMOP-1. The decreased H2 uptake and increased
hysteresis on the desorption branch upon UV irradiation for
1 h (see Figure S25) indicates the limited diffusion of the gas
molecules in and out of the cavity. A lower pressure was
required to release adsorbed H2 molecules from the MOPs
because the pore windows were partially blocked by the
dimethylphenyl groups of the cis-isomer ligands in srMOP-1.
In this context, methylene blue (MB), which is too large to
be trapped in the core of the cage but may be captured in
among the trans-srMOP-1 cages, was selected as the guest
molecule. Since the UV/Vis spectra of MB and srMOP-1 do
not overlap, the amount of MB captured and released by
srMOP-1 can be directly monitored by UV/Vis spectroscopy.
We chose a solvent system in which both trans- and cis-
srMOP-1 are insoluble and MB is soluble. In this case, the
solubility difference between trans- and cis-srMOP-1 will not
account for guest release, which can mainly be attributed to
the weaker interaction between cis-srMOP-1 structures. To
meet this prerequisite, we used a mixed solvent: 10%
methanol in acetone (v/v). To load MB into trans-srMOP-1,
we mixed MB in methanol and srMOP-1 in acetone, and the
resulting solution was stirred for 5 h in the dark. Owing to
disorder of the srMOP-1 packing in this mixed solvent system,
we were unable to locate MB in this srMOP-1 precipitate. The
concentration of MB in the solution decreased, with 0.039 mg
of MB adsorbed per 1 mg of srMOP-1 (as calculated on the
basis of the UV/Vis spectrum of MB in solution). MB@trans-
srMOP-1 was separated from uncaptured MB by centrifugal
separation, and 10% methanol/acetone was added to
MB@trans-srMOP-1. As expected, in the dark there was no
noticeable change in the UV/Vis spectrum of the solution
even after 90 min. However, upon UV irradiation, a consid-
erable increase in the MB-band absorption was observed
(Figure 2b). This increase implies that MB enclosed in the
space between trans-srMOP-1 structures was released when
the UV light was turned on (Figure 2a). The release of MB
stopped when UV irradiation was stopped (see Figure S27).
This result indicates that the interaction between cis-srMOP-
1 structures is not strong enough to generate pockets to retain
guest molecules, and therefore the captured guest molecules
are released upon the formation of cis-srMOP-1.
Figure 2. a) Schematic illustration of the capture of MB by trans-
srMOP-1 and its release from cis-srMOP-1. The two isomers trans- and
cis-srMOP-1 are insoluble. b) UV/Vis spectra of MB in solution in 10%
methanol/acetone. As MB was released from cis-srMOP-1, the absorb-
ance of MB in the solution increased.
and cis-srMOP-1 decreased. The photoinduced solubility
change of srMOP-1 in 5% acetone/chloroform was also
confirmed by UV/Vis spectroscopy (see Figure S28). The
turbid suspension of insoluble trans-srMOP-1 was prepared
by irradiation with blue light for 1 h. The suspension was
centrifuged at 15000 rpm, and then only the clear supernatant
obtained was used to record a UV/Vis absorption spectrum.
The spectrum showed that there was only a very small amount
of srMOP-1 in the supernatant. The turbid suspension was
then exposed to UV light for 30 min and became a transparent
green solution. The spectrum showed strong absorption peaks
of cis-srMOP-1. It indicated that trans-to-cis isomerization
enhanced the solubility of srMOP-1.
To examine the reversibility of the light-induced solubility
change, we exposed this green solution to blue light, and
within 30 min the solution became turbid, thus indicating the
formation of insoluble trans-srMOP-1. Upon irradiation with
blue light for 1 h, full conversion of the cis-to-trans isomer-
ization process occurred. Because of the less-efficient isomer-
ization of solid-state azobenzene, this insoluble trans-/soluble
cis-srMOP isomerization took longer than the isomerization
of the soluble srMOP.[16] Irradiation for longer than 1 h caused
no further formation of precipitates. When the solution was in
the dark, irradiation for at least 3 h was required before
noticeable precipitation was observed, thus indicating that
irradiation with blue light accelerated the formation of trans-
srMOP-1. The reversible formation of a turbid suspension and
a clear solution was observable even with the naked eye
(Figure 3). Such a phenomenon can be used to adjust light
The UV-light-induced release of MB prompted us to
develop a system for the reversible capture and release of
guests by srMOP-1. We tried to harness the solubility
difference between trans- and cis-srMOP-1. As previously
mentioned, the aggregation of trans-srMOP-1 in chloroform
required at least 2 weeks owing to its relatively high solubility
in chloroform. To accelerate this aggregation process, we
adopted a mixed solvent system: 5% acetone in chloroform.
In this solvent system, trans-srMOP-1 showed much lower
solubility, whereas cis-srMOP-1 remained highly soluble. At
higher acetone/chloroform ratios, the solubility of both trans-
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 1 – 6
ꢀ 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
www.angewandte.org
3
These are not the final page numbers!

.
Angewandte
Communications
transmittance by irradiation with light, for example, in
a stimuli-responsive filter.[5c,17]
Upon UV irradiation for 30 min, the absorption peak of
MB increased drastically, accompanied by the generation of
soluble cis-srMOP-1 in solution (Figure 4b). This result
implies that insoluble trans-srMOP-1 was converted into
soluble cis-srMOP-1, which could no longer retain the
adsorbed MB. Therefore, the MB concentration in solution
increased. Irradiation of the solution with blue light caused
formation of the insoluble trans isomer, the recapture of MB,
and thus a decrease in the concentration of MB in solution.
Remarkably, more than 96% of the released MB was
recaptured through cis-to-trans isomerization of srMOP-
1 within 1 h, and almost complete recapture of MB was
observed after irradiation with blue light for 4 h. In our
system, the temperature increased by 1 and 3.58C during
irradiation with blue light for 4 h and irradiation with UV
light for 1 h, respectively. This temperature change would
have a negligible effect on the isomerization of azobenzene
and the capture/release rate of MB. Therefore, this rapid
capture/release of MB is a consequence of the high-yielding
rapid isomerization of the pendent azobenzene units on
srMOP-1 upon irradiation with light. Figure 4c shows the
reversibility of the capture and release of MB for five cycles of
alternating irradiation with UV (30 min) and blue light (1 h).
The amounts of MB captured/released for the five cycles of
irradiation with blue/UV light were similar, thus suggesting
the high reproducibility of trans/cis isomerization of the
azobenzene units.
This reversible solubility change of srMOP-1 can be
utilized in the photoinduced reversible release and capture of
guest molecules. The strategy employed is illustrated sche-
matically in Figure 4a. To incorporate MB into trans-srMOP-
1, we added a solution of MB in methanol to a suspension of
trans-srMOP-1 in chloroform. An aliquot of acetone was
subsequently added, and the solution was irradiated with blue
light to generate MB@trans-srMOP-1 as a solid. Excess
uncaptured MB was removed by centrifugal separation. The
solid MB@trans-srMOP-1 was washed with fresh acetone and
placed in 5% acetone/chloroform for a guest-release experi-
ment. The absorption spectrum of the supernatant of the
solution showed a small peak at 650 nm, thus indicating that
almost all MB molecules were adsorbed on trans-srMOP-1.
Figure 3. Photographs showing that transparent cis-srMOP-1 in 5%
acetone/chloroform (left) becomes a turbid suspension of trans-
srMOP-1 (middle) upon irradiation with blue light. UV-light-induced
trans-to-cis isomerization gives soluble cis-srMOP-1 again and thus
a clear solution (right).
The integrity of L1 after the guest-capture/release experi-
1
ments was confirmed by a H NMR spectroscopic
study of digested srMOP-1 in DCl/[D6]dimethyl
sulfoxide. The spectrum was identical to that of the
as-synthesized ligand, thus indicating the robust-
ness of L1 (see Figure S7). The mass spectrum of
srMOP-1 after the fifth cycle of the capture/
release experiment was recorded, and a peak at
m/z 8702 due to intact srMOP-1 was observed
(Cu24L24·nH2O; see Figure S33). The mass spec-
trum revealed that the isomerization did not
decrease the stability of srMOP-1.
In summary, we have shown that srMOP-
1
functionalized with azobenzene groups can
undergo reversible trans/cis isomerization. The
isomer trans-srMOP-1 showed low solubility and
strong interaction between cages. Guest MB mol-
ecules were captured in the pockets in among trans-
srMOP-1 units. Upon UV irradiation, trans-srMOP-
1 isomerized to cis-srMOP-1, whereupon a decrease
in the interaction between srMOP-1 cages was
observed, along with an increase in solubility.
Therefore, trans-to-cis isomerization of srMOP-
1
facilitated the release of MB. Remarkably,
highly reversible capture and release of MB was
possible by alternate irradiation with blue and UV
light. Before any practical applications of such
optically responsive MOPs may be considered,
there are still many aspects that must be explored,
such as biocompatibility,[10c] optimization of the
isomerization conditions to enhance energy effi-
ciency, and modification of the srMOPs to enable
Figure 4. a) Schematic illustration of the reversible formation of insoluble trans-
and soluble cis-srMOP-1, which enable the photoinduced capture and release of
MB, respectively. The left photograph shows the clear supernatant with insoluble
MB@trans-srMOP-1 at the bottom after centrifugation at 15000 rpm. The right
photograph shows a homogeneous solution of cis-srMOP-1 and MB. b) UV/Vis
spectra of a solution of srMOP-1 and MB after UV irradiation (black) as well as
after irradiation with blue light (red). c) Absorbance of the solution at 653 nm
(blue) and the corresponding concentration of MB captured in srMOP-1 (red).
4
www.angewandte.org
ꢀ 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 1 – 6
These are not the final page numbers!

Angewandte
Chemie
[9] a) M. Irie, H. Tanaka, Macromolecules 1983, 16, 210 – 214;
isomerization induced by visible or near-IR light in versatile
solvent systems.[18] Nonetheless, the reversible capture/release
of guest molecules as presented herein will provide a new
direction in the ever-diversifying field of MOPs, while laying
the groundwork for new optically responsive materials.
b) “Photoresponsive Polymers”: M. Irie, Advances in Polymer
Science, Vol. 94, Springer, Berlin, 1990, pp. 27 – 67; c) G. Wang,
X. Tong, Y. Zhao, Macromolecules 2004, 37, 8911 – 8917; d) M.
Yamamura, Y. Okazaki, T. Nabeshima, Chem. Commun. 2012,
48, 5724 – 5726; e) J. Park, D. Yuan, K. T. Pham, J.-R. Li, A.
Yakovenko, H.-C. Zhou, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 99 – 102;
f) A. Modrow, D. Zargarani, R. Herges, N. Stock, Dalton Trans.
2011, 40, 4217 – 4222; g) N. Yanai, T. Uemura, M. Inoue, R.
Matsuda, T. Fukushima, M. Tsujimoto, S. Isoda, S. Kitagawa, J.
Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 4501 – 4504; h) J. W. Brown, B. L.
Henderson, M. D. Kiesz, A. C. Whalley, W. Morris, S. Grunder,
H. Deng, H. Furukawa, J. I. Zink, J. F. Stoddart, O. M. Yaghi,
Chem. Sci. 2013, 4, 2858 – 2864.
Received: November 25, 2013
Published online: && &&, &&&&
Keywords: azo compounds · host–guest systems · metal–
.
organic polyhedra · optically responsive materials ·
stimuli-responsive solubility
[10] a) J. E. M. Lewis, E. L. Gavey, S. A. Cameron, J. D. Crowley,
Chem. Sci. 2012, 3, 778 – 784; b) T. Murase, Y. Nishijima, M.
Fujita, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 162 – 164; c) D. Zhao, S. Tan,
D. Yuan, W. Lu, Y. H. Rezenom, H. Jiang, L.-Q. Wang, H.-C.
Zhou, Adv. Mater. 2011, 23, 90 – 93.
[11] a) D. J. Tranchemontagne, Z. Ni, M. OꢄKeeffe, O. M. Yaghi,
Angew. Chem. 2008, 120, 5214 – 5225; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.
2008, 47, 5136 – 5147; b) J.-R. Li, A. A. Yakovenko, W. Lu, D. J.
Timmons, W. Zhuang, D. Yuan, H.-C. Zhou, J. Am. Chem. Soc.
2010, 132, 17599 – 17610; c) J.-R. Li, H.-C. Zhou, Nat. Chem.
2010, 2, 893 – 898; d) K. Suzuki, K. Takao, S. Sato, M. Fujita, J.
Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 2544 – 2545; e) M. Tominaga, K.
Suzuki, M. Kawano, T. Kusukawa, T. Ozeki, S. Sakamoto, K.
Yamaguchi, M. Fujita, Angew. Chem. 2004, 116, 5739 – 5743;
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2004, 43, 5621 – 5625; f) T. D. Hamilton,
[1] a) M. A. Cohen Stuart, W. T. S. Huck, J. Genzer, M. Mꢁller, C.
Ober, M. Stamm, G. B. Sukhorukov, I. Szleifer, V. V. Tsukruk,
M. Urban, F. Winnik, S. Zauscher, I. Luzinov, S. Minko, Nat.
Mater. 2010, 9, 101 – 113; b) J. Croissant, J. I. Zink, J. Am. Chem.
Soc. 2012, 134, 7628 – 7631; c) M. Natali, S. Giordani, Chem. Soc.
Rev. 2012, 41, 4010 – 4029; d) X. Yan, F. Wang, B. Zheng, F.
Huang, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2012, 41, 6042 – 6065.
[2] a) J. Liu, A. Li, J. Tang, R. Wang, N. Kong, T. P. Davis, Chem.
Commun. 2012, 48, 4680 – 4682; b) B. Li, X. Jiang, J. Yin, J.
Mater. Chem. 2012, 22, 17976 – 17983.
[3] W. Wang, D. Cheng, F. Gong, X. Miao, X. Shuai, Adv. Mater.
2012, 24, 115 – 120.
[4] S. Das, P. Ranjan, P. S. Maiti, G. Singh, G. Leitus, R. Klajn, Adv.
Mater. 2013, 25, 422 – 426.
ˇˇ ´
ˇ
G. S. Papaefstathiou, T. Friscic, D.-K. i. Bucar, L. R. MacGilliv-
ray, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 14366 – 14367.
[12] a) B. Kilbas, S. Mirtschin, R. Scopelliti, K. Severin, Chem. Sci.
2012, 3, 701 – 704; b) H. Furukawa, J. Kim, K. E. Plass, O. M.
Yaghi, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128, 8398 – 8399.
[13] D. Zhao, D. Yuan, R. Krishna, J. M. van Baten, H.-C. Zhou,
Chem. Commun. 2010, 46, 7352 – 7354.
[5] a) I. Bassanetti, F. Mezzadri, A. Comotti, P. Sozzani, M. Gennari,
G. Calestani, L. Marchiꢂ, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 9142 –
9145; b) M. D. Segarra-Maset, V. J. Nebot, J. F. Miravet, B.
Escuder, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2013, 42, 7086; c) T. Ogoshi, K. Kida,
T.-A. Yamagishi, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 20146 – 20150.
[6] a) M. Han, R. Michel, B. He, Y.-S. Chen, D. Stalke, M. John,
G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. 2013, 125, 1358 – 1362; Angew.
Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, 1319 – 1323; b) R. Tong, H. D. Hemmati,
R. Langer, D. S. Kohane, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 8848 –
8855; c) X. Mei, S. Yang, D. Chen, N. Li, H. Li, Q. Xu, J. Ge, J.
Lu, Chem. Commun. 2012, 48, 10010 – 10012; d) Q. Yuan, Y.
Zhang, T. Chen, D. Lu, Z. Zhao, X. Zhang, Z. Li, C.-H. Yan, W.
Tan, ACS Nano 2012, 6, 6337 – 6344.
[14] H. D. Anspon, Org. Synth. 1945, 25, 1.
[15] a) D. Yuan, D. Zhao, D. Sun, H.-C. Zhou, Angew. Chem. 2010,
122, 5485 – 5489; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2010, 49, 5357 – 5361;
b) D. Zhao, D. Yuan, D. Sun, H.-C. Zhou, J. Am. Chem. Soc.
2009, 131, 9186 – 9188.
[16] K. G. Yager, C. J. Barrett, J. Photochem. Photobiol. A 2006, 182,
250 – 261.
[7] H.-i. Lee, W. Wu, J. K. Oh, L. Mueller, G. Sherwood, L. Peteanu,
T. Kowalewski, K. Matyjaszewski, Angew. Chem. 2007, 119,
2505 – 2509; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007, 46, 2453 – 2457.
[8] a) S. Yagai, A. Kitamura, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2008, 37, 1520 – 1529;
b) J. Garcia-Amorꢃs, S. Nonell, D. Velasco, Chem. Commun.
2012, 48, 3421 – 3423; c) G. S. Kumar, D. C. Neckers, Chem. Rev.
1989, 89, 1915 – 1925.
[17] J. Heo, Y. J. Kim, M. Seo, S. Shin, S. Y. Kim, Chem. Commun.
2012, 48, 3351 – 3353.
[18] H. A. Wegner, Angew. Chem. 2012, 124, 4869 – 4871; Angew.
Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 4787 – 4788.
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 1 – 6
ꢀ 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
www.angewandte.org
5
These are not the final page numbers!

.
Angewandte
Communications
Communications
Metal–Organic Frameworks
J. Park, L.-B. Sun, Y.-P. Chen, Z. Perry,
H.-C. Zhou*
&&&& — &&&&
Azobenzene-Functionalized Metal–
Organic Polyhedra for the Optically
Responsive Capture and Release of Guest
Molecules
Lock in the guests, later set them free:
Stimuli-responsive metal–organic poly-
hedra (srMOPs) functionalized with azo-
benzene showed UV-light-induced iso-
merization from insoluble srMOPs sub-
stituted with trans-azobenzene to soluble
srMOPs with cis-azobenzene units; irra-
diation with blue light reversed this
process (see picture). Guest molecules
were trapped upon cis-to-trans and
released upon trans-to-cis isomerization
of the azobenzene units.
6
www.angewandte.org
ꢀ 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 1 – 6
These are not the final page numbers!