A molecular strategy for creating functional vesicles with balancing structural stability and stimuli-responsiveness

H NMR analysis and fluorescence spectra of environment-responsive probes, intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the amide linkages in the membrane contributed to the enhanced structural stability of the GVs. Moreover, by adding amphiphiles containing a photoresponsive azobenzene moiety to GVs composed of amphiphiles with or without amide linkages, a distinct mechanism of photoresponsive deformation was observed: the former exhibited large and irreversible deformation, while the latter showed a modest and reversible manner due to the photoisomerisation of azobenzene under ultraviolet and subsequent visible light illumination. This difference was also attributed to the membrane structure affected by intermolecular hydrogen bonding. Based on these results, the finding provides a molecular methodology for developing highly functional vesicles.