Photochromism via reversible transformation of photoinduced chiral free radicals

Abstract

A chiral molecule-doped polymer system exhibiting reversible photoswitching of red luminescence and chiroptical activity via radical transitions is presented here. The optical state is reversibly reset by water vapor, enabling robust and rewritable photonic patterning on paper and botanical surfaces, thereby establishing a new paradigm for stimuli-responsive dynamic photoluminescent materials.