The ability to control via external stimuli the delivery of molecular cargo has the potential to impact a variety of applications – drug delivery, time-release fertilizers, fragrances, and the food packaging industry. In the past photo-caging has generally been accomplished through molecular interactions. Upon light activation, bond scission can release an active molecular species. Ultimately, many of these systems were explored for drug delivery applications. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs), composed of metal nodes connected by multi-dentate organic linkers, provide a 3D, polymeric network that can effectively encapsulate species of interest. Herein, the development of a photo-active, synthetically-tunable MOF nano-cage. The linkers undergo a photo-induced geometry change that causes the overall material to degrade on demand. As the material degrades, encapsulated cargo, in this case molecular dyes and drug molecules, are controllably released. The rate of release can be tuned through both the intensity of light incident on the material and the wavelength of light used to drive the uncaging event (white light vs. monochromatic). Preliminary results concerning the use of the developed MOFs for a new form of photodynamic dynamic therapy (oxygen-independent) will be included.

Stimuli-responsive metal organic framework nanoparticles

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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