title: Photochromic dithienylethene-containing triarylborane derivatives: facile approach to modulate photochromic properties with multi-addressable functions.
abstract: A series of dithienylethene-containing triarylboranes has been designed, synthesized, and characterized. The electrochemistry, photophysics, and photochromic behavior have also been studied. The photophysical and photochromic properties could be facilely tuned in this system by varying the thiophene spacers (thiophene, thienothiophene, and bithiophene) between the dithienylethene and the dimesitylboron (BMes2 ) or the position of the BMes2 substitution in the thiophene spacers. The absorption of closed form has been found to be more sensitive towards the structural modification upon incorporation of the BMes2 unit. Moreover, multi-addressable photochromic reactivity is obtained upon addition of Lewis base (F(-) ), which is due to the formation of boron-Lewis base adduct. The dependence of the photophysical and photochromic properties on the thiophene spacers and the position of the BMes2 substitution has been further supported by computational studies.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Functional Materials [Area of Excellence Scheme, University Grants Committee (Hong Kong)] and Department of Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong (P.R. China).
authors.forename: Chun-Ting
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Poon
authors.forename: Wai Han
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Hok-Lai
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Vivian Wing-Wah
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Yam
keywords: boron; density functional calculations; dithienylethene; multi-addressable functions; photochromic systems