Investigation of Donor–Acceptor Stenhouse Adducts as New Visible Wavelength-Responsive Switching Elements for Lipid-Based Liquid Crystalline Systems

The ability of donor–acceptor Stenhouse adducts (DASAs) to function as a green light responsive switch for lipid-based liquid crystalline drug delivery systems was investigated. The host matrix comprising phytantriol cubic phase was selected due to its high sensitivity toward changes in lipid packing. Small-angle X-ray scattering demonstrated that the matrix undergoes rapid and fully reversible order–order phase transitions upon irradiation with 532 nm light, converting between the bicontinuous cubic phase and reversed hexagonal phases. This approach shows promise for use as an actuator for the development of visible wavelength light-activated, “on-demand” drug delivery systems.