title: Enhanced bi-stability in a ruthenium alkynyl spiropyran complex.
abstract: The inclusion of a ligated ruthenium moiety to ethynyl spiropyran, 5'-ethynyl-1',3',3'-trimethyl-6-nitrospiro[chromene-2,2'-indoline], has been shown to increase the lifetime of the ring-opened merocyanine form twentyfold. Calculations suggest that the higher barrier to thermal reversion of the merocyanine form of the metal alkynyl complex arises from the capacity for greater delocalisation of charge consequent of the presence of the ruthenium moiety. The complex may provide a different switching mechanism to the 5,5'-dithienylperfluorocyclopentene electrode decoupling seen previously.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, 6009, Australia. george.koutsantonis@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Mark C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Walkey
authors.forename: Lindsay T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Byrne
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Piggott
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Low
authors.forename: George A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Koutsantonis