Solvent-resolved self-assemblies of cholesteryl-cyanostilbene conjugates with photo- and thermo-responsiveness.

It remains challenging to construct multifunctional chiral stimulus-responsive molecules and to modulate their morphology at the nanoscale. In this paper, we synthesized a novel chiral molecule with both photoactive and potentially bioactive properties and found that the morphological changes of its self-assembly were influenced by solvent polarity and light exposure. This work enabled the synthesized molecule to undergo Z - E isomerization efficiently under light irradiation by introducing highly oriented hydrogen bonds into the cyanostilbene part. The photoisomerization of the cyanostilbene part from Z - to E -type was further exploited, leading to morphological changes from nanohelices to vesicles with chiroptical evolution. The light-modulated supramolecular chirality and nanostructure provide a green and efficient method for the design of responsive chiral materials.