A class of tunable visible and near-infrared donor−acceptor Stenhouse adduct (DASA) photoswitches were efficiently synthesized in two to four steps from commercially available starting materials with minimal purification. Using either Meldrum's or barbituric acid "acceptors" in combination with aniline-based "donors", an absorption range spanning from 450 to 750 nm is obtained. Additionally, photoisomerization results in complete decoloration for all adducts, yielding fully transparent, colorless solutions and films. Detailed investigations using density functional theory, nuclear magnetic resonance, and visible absorption spectroscopies provide valuable insight into the unique structure−property relationships for this novel class of photoswitches. As a final demonstration, selective photochromism is accomplished in a variety of solvents and polymer matrices, a significant advantage for applications of this new generation of DASAs.

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The development and application of novel activated furan copolymers is reported. The platform provides a colorimetric method for sensing amines in aqueous media through the generation of a highly colored donor–acceptor Stenhouse adduct (DASA). Furthermore, the resulting DASA–polymer conjugates, which are obtained after amine sensing, are characterized to determine fundamental structure–property relationships for this emerging class of negative photochromic species.

A novel synthetic method was developed for the controlled functionalization of fluorinated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (F-POSS), which are useful as low surface energy materials for superhydrophobic and superoleophobic materials. Utilizing triflic acid, open-cage compounds were created and then reacted with a variety of dichlorosilanes to produce functional F-POSS structures possessing alkyl-, aryl-, and acrylate-based moieties. The crystal structure for an endo,endo-disilanol F-POSS compound was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The chemical structures were confirmed using multinuclear NMR spectroscopy ((1)H, (13)C, (19)F, and (29)Si), FT-IR, and combustion analysis. Dynamic contact angle measurements of these compounds were taken with water and hexadecane. These novel structures were found to possess excellent wetting-resistant behavior, similar to that of the parent F-POSS compound. They are the first well-defined fluorinated nano-building blocks with a controlled level of reactive functionality for the development of new superhydrophobic and superoleophobic materials.

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