Stimuli-responsive nanomaterials that self-assemble in a reversible fashion have attracted considerable interest because of their potential applications in diverse fields such as switchable catalysis1, reversible trapping of small molecules2, reactivity in confined spaces3, water purification4, time-sensitive data storage5, etc. Although self-assembly of nanosized objects has been widely investigated, the precise control of stimuli-induced self-assembly and disassembly of designated components within complex mixtures is still a challenging goal whose realization is important for engineering innovative nanomaterials as well as for systems chemistry. Another major scientific problem is to realize the self-assembly and disassembly of the nanoparticles with different wavelengths of visible light. Herein we show that by decorating the metallic nanoparticle surfaces with thiolated 2,2’,6,6’-tetraflouroazobenzene (F-Azo), it is possible to encourage self-assembly and disassembly process of the system upon irradiation with visible light. Most importantly, we introduced nanoparticles of different sizes, each functionalized with different types of photoswitches (such as differently substituted azobenzenes), and produce two- and three-component systems whose components can be controlled individually by different colors of visible light, which lead to selective self-assembly in complex mixtures.
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