ИСТИНА

We propose an unique class of polyfunctional photoactive compounds: unsaturated (polymethine) dyes. A large body of research has been performed for their synthesis, determination of their spatial structures, study of self-assembly features to give supramolecular systems, and also study of fluorescent, photochemical and complexing properties. Resulting from the research, we elaborated for the first time universal supramolecular meccano, allowing one to accomplish building-up, with using a limited number of complementary compounds with participation of metal cations and hydrogen bonds, photoactive supramolecular systems of varied architecture with adjusted properties. Within the same class of compounds one can construct in solution, solid and at the air-water interface new types of photoswitchable supramolecular devices and photocontrolled supramolecular machines susceptible to all of the key photoprocesses. The high practical value of these studies deserves attention. They provide a new strategy for the design of materials for supramolecular and organic nanophotonics, which was demonstrated, first of all, by the creation of practically important sensor and photochromic materials. This work was supported by the RFBR (project No. 18 03 00214), the Russian Science Foundation, the RAS, the Ministry of Science and Education, the Moscow Government, the INTAS, the CRDF, the DFG, the Royal Society, and the ISF.