Chemical control over hemi-indigo photoswitches

Duindam, N. (2026)

Doctoral Thesis

Photoswitches have found widespread application as tools to reversibly change chemical and/or physical properties at the molecular level, thereby affecting their surrounding environment. However, the interaction of the chemical environment with the switch itself is often overlooked. Notably, key photoswitch properties are often sensitive to external stimuli such as pH, ion binding, and dynamic covalent interactions. In this thesis, the sensitivity of hemi-indigo photoswitches to such chemical stimuli was investigated, and it was demonstrated that reversible control over these interactions enables quantitative gating of the photochemistry. Alongside elucidating the principles governing the chemical control over hemi-indigo photochemistry, the application of these photoswitches in the field of (active) molecular transport was explored.

• Photochemistry
• Supramolecular Chemistry

• All authors: Duindam, N.
• Supervisor: Wezenberg, S.J.; Kros, A.
• Committee: Ubbink, M.; Jeuken, L.J.C.; Pandit, A.; Brouwer, A.M.; Silvi, S.
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Leiden Institute of Chemistry (LIC), Faculty of Science, Leiden University
• Date: 2026-06-19
• DOI: doi:10.60602/1887-4306846