Issue 38, 2016

Turn-on mode fluorescence photoswitching of diarylethene single crystals

Abstract

The photochromic and fluorescence properties of two diarylethene derivatives having benzo[b]thiophene S,S-dioxide groups were studied in the single-crystalline phase. The derivatives showed reversible photochromic reactions and turn-on mode photoswitching of fluorescence in solution as well as in the single-crystalline phase. Upon irradiation with UV light, the open-ring isomers in the crystals underwent cyclization reactions to produce fluorescent closed-ring isomers. The UV-irradiated crystals emitted green or yellow-green fluorescence and exhibited dichroism of their absorption and fluorescence spectra under linearly polarized light. Upon irradiation with visible light, the closed-ring isomers reverted to the open-ring isomers and the fluorescence of the crystals disappeared. The switching cycles could be repeated more than 50 times without detectable deterioration. Area-selective switching of the fluorescence in the single crystal was demonstrated by patterned light irradiation, suggesting potential applications of the photoswitchable fluorescent molecular crystals in optical memory and display devices.

Graphical abstract: Turn-on mode fluorescence photoswitching of diarylethene single crystals

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
31 Mar 2016
Accepted
06 May 2016
First published
26 May 2016

CrystEngComm, 2016,18, 7241-7248

Turn-on mode fluorescence photoswitching of diarylethene single crystals

M. Morimoto, R. Kashihara, K. Mutoh, Y. Kobayashi, J. Abe, H. Sotome, S. Ito, H. Miyasaka and M. Irie, CrystEngComm, 2016, 18, 7241 DOI: 10.1039/C6CE00725B

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