Azobenzene-functionalized cage silsesquioxanes as inorganic-organic hybrid, photoresponsive, nanoscale, building blocks.

Mono- and octa-azobenzene-functionalized cage silsesquioxanes were easily synthesized by the reaction of 4-bromoazobenzene with monovinyl-substituted octasilsesquioxane and cubic octavinylsilsesquioxane through the Heck coupling reaction. Excited-state energies obtained from time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) and the CAM-B3LYP functional correlate very well with experimental trans-cis photoisomerization results from UV/Vis spectroscopy. These azobenzene-functionalized cages exhibit good thermal stability and are fluorescent with maximum emission at approximately 400 nm, making them potential materials for blue-light emission.