Designing intelligent molecules and smart nanomaterials as molecular machines is becoming increasingly important in the nanoscience fields. Herein, we report a nanodot actuator with changeable fluorescence by π–π stacking force based on a four-armed foldable phthalocyanine molecule. The assembled nanodot possessed a three-dimensional molecular space structure and multiple supramolecular interactions. The arms of the nanodot could fold and open intelligently in response to environmental molecular stimuli such as natural plant mimosa, which could lead to multiple variable fluorescence emissions. The nanodot was highly sensitive to the biomolecule thyroxine at the molecular level. The accurate molecular recognition and the changeable fluorescence conversion of the nanodot were attributed to multiple supramolecular interactions, including photoinduced electron transfer (PET), intramolecular fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), and π–π stacking of the nanodots, resulting in an intelligent “nanodot machine with folding arms”. The self-assembled nanodot actuators with changeable fluorescence have potential applications in advanced intelligent material fields.

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Fabrication of bioinspired intelligent materials with adjustable light, self-shading, and tunable color performances is a significant challenge in the fields of advanced materials. In this work, a liquid crystal nanoparticle actuator (LCNA) with photo-humidity stimuli responses was designed, which was supramolecular self-assembled by the surfactantassisted method from a functional liquid crystal molecule 2-(3′,3′-dimethyl-6-nitrospiro[chromene-2,2′-indolin]-1′-yl)ethyl dodecyl phthalate (EDP-SP). Bionic films containing the LCNA showed adjustable light, selfshading, and color changes in response to environmental light and humidity stimuli. The self-assembled amphiphilic nanoparticles greatly improved the stimuli-responsive sensitivity. A bionic nanoactuator was triggered by multiple supramolecular interactions, such as the rearrangement of liquid crystal molecules, the interactions of intermolecular hydrogen bonds, and the photoisomerization in the nanoparticles. They show excellent dimming and color-changing sensitivity and reversibility in real time. Bionic interfaces containing the self-assembled LCNA attract much interest and have many potential applications in 3D printing, smart textiles, and artificial bionic skin.

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