Photoinduced Solid-Liquid Phase Transition and Energy Storage Enabled by the Design of Linked Double Photoswitches

We demonstrate an effective design strategy of photoswitchable phase change materials based on the bis-azobenzene scaffold. These compounds display a solid phase in the E,E state and a liquid phase in the Z,Z state, in contrast to their monoazobenzene counterparts that exhibit less controlled phase transition behaviors that are largely influenced by their functional groups.