Orein Francis Jafter

1 Introduction With the seminal discovery in 1937 of the trans-cis photoisomerization along the NN double bond in azobenzene, this compound class became a cornerstone of modern molecular technologies.[1] Apart from their wide use as dyes in the fashion industry,[2] applications of azobenzenes span a broad range,[3] from molecular energy storage systems[4-6] and light-activated drugs for precision medicine,[7-9] optical sensory systems,[10] to molecular actuators toward the use in soft...