Light-gated redox switching and actuation in polymer hydrogels

Stimuli-responsive materials based on molecular switches, introducing life-like properties such as adaptive behavior in an aqueous environment, are fascinating, providing numerous opportunities to control functions and enable future applications like actuators and soft robotics. Light-responsive molecular systems are receiving particular attention, due to the non-invasive stimulus and distinctive spatio-temporal control possible with photoswitches. In contrast, redox-switching is quantitative, non-volatile and associated with significant changes in material properties, but lacks spatio-temporal precision. Herein we address this challenge in the first proof-of-principle demonstration of light-gated redox switching of polymer hydrogel materials, thereby combining the advantages of both strategies. We present a unique approach where irradiation controls the intrinsic redox properties of the system. This is enabled by the reversible and versatile light- and redox-responsive bisthioxanthylidene switch embedded in a polymer hydrogel, whose two-electron oxidation potential is strongly modulated by light. As a result, oxidation of the material, which is associated with large changes in color, fluorescence, swelling and actuation can be carried out in water with high precision in space and time by photo-masking. This light-gated redox-patterning of the material can be exploited for numerous functions including, as demonstrated here, complex motion and reversible surface texturing.