The overall scientific objective of DESPAIR is to explore photoswitchable supramolecular associates of artificial receptors as

ion-pair recognition platforms, setting foundations to environmentally friendly switchable remediation of ion-pairs. The

underlying hypothesis states that true ion-pair recognition sites form in-situ within the supramolecular associates of

receptors, where photoswitchable moieties explicitly interact with ions and cooperative effects arise from the intricate

interplay of ion interactions and supramolecular polymerisation. The three specific objectives are straightforward and

involve the development of associated photoswitchable receptors having one and two photoswitches, and applications

thereof in the extraction/sensing of ion pairs. To accomplish these objectives, we employ modern methods of organic

synthesis and detailed structural and spectroscopic characterization coupled with advanced computational calculations. The

key expected results include the development of new photoswitchable platforms that are able to sense and extract ion-pairs

from the environment in a switchable and reversible manner. The main scientific significance of the results is that they bridge

for the first time the three major research fields of ion-pair binding, supramolecular polymers, and photoswitches, as well

substantially contribute to the field of photoswitchable ion pair receptors, which is still in its infancy.