Reversible photocontrollable magnetic vesicles consisting of azobenzene

Photochromic magnetic vesicles have been designed by intercalation of Prussian blue into a lipid bilayer membrane which consists of azobenzene. Reversible photoisomerization of the solid system realized reversible photocontrol of the magnetic properties. Here, we have synthesized an amphiphile azo moiety containing a long alkyl chain, and we have prepared photochromic magnetic vesicles consisting of only this azo moiety. As a result, the magnetic property change brought about by visible light illumination was estimated to be ca. 13%, which is much larger than the figure achieved for the similar system that we reported previously (∼1%), which contained the double-chain ammonium amphiphile (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1999, 121, 3745.).