Chemical Communications , 2015, 51 (10), 1830-1833.

Switching adhesion and friction by light using photosensitive guest-host interactions

Blass, Johanna | Bozna, Bianca L. | Albrecht, Marcel | Krings, Jennifer A. | Ravoo, Bart Jan | Wenz, Gerhard | Bennewitz, Roland

Friction and adhesion between two [small beta]-cyclodextrin functionalized surfaces can be switched reversibly by external light stimuli. The interaction between the cyclodextrin molecules attached to the tip of an atomic force microscope and a silicon wafer surface is mediated by complexation of ditopic azobenzene guest molecules. At the single molecule level, the rupture force of an individual complex is 61 +/- 10 pN.

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