A Novel Unsymmetrical Diarylethene Material Bearing Double Thiophene Ring
A new photochromic diarylethene compound, 1-[2-methyl-5-(3-thienyl)-3-thieny-2-[2-methyl-5-(3-benzaldehyde)-3-thieny perfluorocyclopentene (1a) 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 1a changed the color from colorless to navy upon irradiation with 297 nm UV light, in which absorption maxima were observed at 577 nm in hexane and at 592 nm in PMMA film, respectively. Using diarylethene 1b/PMMA film as recording medium, optical recording was performed successfully.