Photoswitchable Sol–Gel Transitions and Catalysis Mediated by Polymer Networks with Coumarin‐Decorated Cu24L24 Metal–Organic Cages as Junctions.

Photoresponsive materials that change in response to light have been studied for a range of applications. These materials are often metastable during irradiation, returning to their pre‐irradiated state after removal of the light source. Herein, we report a polymer gel comprising poly(ethylene glycol) star polymers linked by Cu24L24 metal–organic cages/polyhedra (MOCs) with coumarin ligands. In the presence of UV light, a photosensitizer, and a hydrogen donor, this "polyMOC" material can be reversibly switched between CuII, CuI, and Cu0. The instability of the MOC junctions in the CuI and Cu0 states leads to network disassembly, forming CuI/Cu0 solutions, respectively, that are stable until re‐oxidation to CuII and supramolecular gelation. This reversible disassembly of the polyMOC network can occur in the presence of a fixed covalent second network generated in situ by copper‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC), providing interpenetrating supramolecular and covalent networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]