Azobenzene moiety variation directing self-assembly and photoresponsive behavior of azo-surfactants

We report two photoresponsive amphiphiles with comparable structures consisting of hydrophilic oligooxyethylene units, a hydrophobic alkyl chain and a light-sensitive azobenzene moiety, demonstrating that self-assembly and photoresponsive behaviour is extremely sensitive to the position of the photoactive moiety within the surfactant molecular architecture.