title: Tunable photochromism in the robust dithienylethene-containing phospholes: design, synthesis, characterization, electrochemistry, photophysics, and photochromic studies.
abstract: A series of dithienylethene-containing phosphole derivatives has been designed, synthesized and characterized. One of the compounds has been characterized by X-ray crystallography. Upon photoexcitation, the compounds exhibit drastic color changes, ascribed to the reversible photochromic behavior. Their photochromic, photophysical and electrochemical properties have been studied. They show photochromic reactivities with high photocyclization quantum yields. Their photophysical and photochromic properties are found to be facilely tuned in this system by substitution at the phosphole backbone, as well as variation on the extent of π-conjugation of the phosphole backbone. Some selected compounds have been demonstrated to exhibit photochromic properties in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) films.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Functional Materials (Areas of Excellence Scheme, University Grants Committee (Hong Kong)) and Department of Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong (China).
authors.forename: Jacky Chi-Hung
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Hok-Lai
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Wing-Tak
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Vivian Wing-Wah
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Yam
keywords: optical properties; phosphorus heterocycles; photochromism; photophysics; thiophenes