Editing Photoisomerization (section)

==Applications==
Photoisomerization of the compound [[retinal]] in the eye allows for vision.

Photoisomerizable substrates have been put to practical use, for instance, in [[pigment]]s for [[CD-RW|rewritable CDs]], [[DVD-RW|DVDs]], and [[3D optical data storage]] solutions. In addition, interest in photoisomerizable molecules has been aimed at molecular devices, such as [[molecular switch]]es,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mammana |first1=A. |year=2011 |title=A Chiroptical Photoswitchable DNA Complex |journal=[[Journal of Physical Chemistry B]] |volume=115 |issue=40 |pages=11581–11587 |doi=10.1021/jp205893y |pmid=21879715 |display-authors=etal|url=https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/10462706/2011JPhysChemBMammanaSupp.pdf |hdl=11370/cca715c8-861f-4500-943f-028c95e8e55e |s2cid=33375716 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1=Mokdad | first1 = A | last2 = Belof | first2 = J | last3 = Yi | first3 = S | last4 = Shuler | first4 = S | last5 = McLaughlin | first5 = M | last6 = Space | first6 = B | last7 = Larsen | first7 = R | title = Photophysical Studies of the Trans to Cis Isomerization of the Push−Pull Molecule: 1-(Pyridin-4-yl)-2-(N-methylpyrrol-2-yl)ethene (mepepy) | journal=[[Journal of Physical Chemistry B]] | volume = 112 | issue = 36 | pages = 8310–8315 | year = 2008 | doi = 10.1021/jp803268r | pmid = 18700732 | bibcode = 2008JPCA..112.8310M }}</ref> [[molecular motor]]s,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Vachon |first1=J. |year=2014 |title=An ultrafast surface-bound photo-active molecular motor |journal=[[Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences]] |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=241–246 |doi=10.1039/C3PP50208B |pmid=24096390 |s2cid=23165784 |display-authors=etal|url=http://dare.uva.nl/personal/pure/en/publications/an-ultrafast-surfacebound-photoactive-molecular-motor(ca92afa2-9b98-44e8-b06c-c29c41da008d).html }}</ref> and [[molecular electronics]].

Another class of device that uses the photoisomerization process is as an additive in [[liquid crystals]] to change their linear and nonlinear properties.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Janossy |first1=I. |last2=Szabados |first2=L. |title=Optical reorientation of nematic liquid crystals in the presence of photoisomerization |journal=Physical Review E |date=1 October 1998 |volume=58 |issue=4 |page=4598 |doi=10.1103/PhysRevE.58.4598|bibcode=1998PhRvE..58.4598J |s2cid=26508261 }}</ref> Due to the photoisomerization is possible to induce a molecular reorientation in the liquid crystal bulk, which is used in [[holography]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=Alan G |last2=Brady |first2=David J |title=Real-time holography in azo-dye-doped liquid crystals |journal=Optics Letters |date=1992 |volume=17 |issue=6 |pages=441–3 |doi=10.1364/OL.17.000441|pmid=19784354 |bibcode=1992OptL...17..441C |s2cid=20923350 }}</ref> as [[spatial filter]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kato |first1=Jun-ichi |last2=Yamaguchi |first2=Ichirou |title=Nonlinear spatial filtering with a dye-doped liquid-crystal cell |journal=Optics Letters |date=1996 |volume=21 |issue=11 |pages=767–769 |doi=10.1364/OL.21.000767|pmid=19876152 |bibcode=1996OptL...21..767K }}</ref> or optical switching.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Maly |first1=Kenneth E |last2=Wand |first2=Michael D |title=Bistable ferroelectric liquid crystal photoswitch triggered by a dithienylethene dopant |journal=Journal of the American Chemical Society |date=2002 |volume=124 |issue=27 |pages=7898–7899 |doi=10.1364/OPEX.13.002358|pmid=19495125 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

[[File:Methyl red.svg|thumb|Methyl red molecule, a common azo dye used in liquid crystal doping]]