Synthesis, Optoelectronic Properties of a Novel Photochromic Diarylethene Bearing Phenyl and Thienyl Group

An unsymmetrical diarylethene derivative bearing both phenyl and thiophene moieties, in which a methoxyl group was substituted at the para-positions of the terminal phenyl ring, was synthesized. At the same time, its photochromic properties and fluorescence switch were investigated in detail. The results showed that this compound exhibited reversible photochromism, undergoing reversible cyclization and cycloreversion reactions upon alternating irradiation with UV and visible light both in solution and in PMMA film, and its absorption maxima were observed at 497 nm in hexane and at 510 nm in PMMA amorphous film, respectively, upon irradiation with 297 nm UV light. In hexane solution, the open-ring isomer of the diarylethene 1 exhibited relatively strong fluorescence at 408 nm when excited at 361 nm.