Photochromism and Fluorescence of a Novel Unsymmetrical Diarylethene Material Bearing Benzene and Thiophene Ring
A new photochromic diarylethene compound, 1-[2-methyl-(5-(4- dioxolane) phenyl)-3-thienyl]-2-(2-methyl-3-benzothiophene)perfluorocyclopentene (1o)was synthesized. Its properties, including photochromism and fluorescence were investigated in detail both in solution and PMMA amorphous film. It underwent reversible cyclization and cycloreversion reactions upon alternating irradiation with UV and visible light in hexane. The compound showed good phtochromism both in solution and in solid states. Diarylethene 1o changed the color from colorless to purple upon irradiation with 297 nm UV light, in which absorption maxima were observed at 539 nm in hexane and at 547nm in PMMA film, respectively. Using diarylethene 1c/PMMA film as recording medium, optical recording was performed successfully. This new photochromic system also exhibited remarkable optical storage character