Photoisomerisation and light-induced morphological switching of a polyoxometalate-azobenzene hybrid.

The functionalization of a spherical Keplerate-type polyoxometalate {Mo72 V30 } with a cationic azobenzene surfactant has been achieved through ionic self-assembly. The photoisomerisation reaction of this complex, which emerges in a light-triggered aggregation-disaggregation process, has been followed by1 H NMR spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, absorption spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy analyses.