A Photochromic Diarylethene with Five and Six-Membered Aryl Units

Abstract

A photochromic diarylethene bearing a six-membered aryl unit 1-[(2,5-dimethyl-3-thienyl)]-2-[2-methy-4-(3,5-difluorophenyl)-phenyl]perfluoroyclopentene (1a) was synthesized and its photochromic and fluorescent properties were also investigated in detail. The results showed that this compound exhibited reversible photochromism, changing from colorless to red after irradiation with UV light, in which absorption maxima were observed at 521 and 536nm in hexane and PMMA film, respectively. The fluorescence intensity decreased along with the photochromism upon irradiation with 297 nm light in hexane.