Azobenzene‐containing polymers offer tremendous advantages and opportunities over other stimuli‐responsive materials to interface with biology. Azobenzene's fast, reversible, and innocuous cis – trans geometrical isomerization can be leveraged into dramatic intra‐ and inter‐molecular changes when incorporated in polymeric materials. Azobenzene use has grown from a colorant, through to optical storage materials, and most recently in a variety of biologically themed applications. This review highlights the broad impact this photo‐switch has had in recent years and offers a snapshot of the research landscape at the interface between photochemistry and biology. From photo‐reversible micelles and peptides to controlled drug release and sensing, the versatility of azobenzene makes it a favored photo‐switch found in many emerging applications.
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Goulet‐Hanssens et al. (2013) studied this question.