Abstract
Abstract Capable of rapid and reversible conformational change in response to irradiation, azobenzene (AB) derivatives have been used in chemical systems to introduce on/off switchability and allow for photoregulation of the properties of such systems. Following a brief introduction of tuning AB absorption via substitution, this chapter summarizes the selected recent reports of applications of bridged ABs in biological systems or systems having potential biomedical utility. ABs have been used to achieve photocontrol of drug‐delivery systems, molecular actuators, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) nanomachines, enzyme activity, peptide structure and activity, and ion channels. This chapter describes how researchers have incorporated AB into biological systems as a photoresponsive switch to afford photocontrol of the chemical activity in such systems. The various works detailed in this chapter showcase the versatility of AB for use as a light‐responsive molecular switch in the photoregulation of biological processes. Additionally, light‐responsive AB‐derived macroscopic materials are also discussed, given their biomedical potential for use as artificial muscle.
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