Substituent effects on the properties of photochromic diarylethenes

Photochromic symmetrical diarylethenes 1o–5o bearing different electron-donating or electron-withdrawing substitutents have been synthesized, and the structures of 1o, 2o, 4o, and 5o were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Substitutent effects on their optoelectronic properties, including photochromism, fluorescence, and electrochemical properties were investigated in detail. The electron-withdrawing substituents can shift significantly the absorption maxima of the diarylethenes to a longer wavelength and increase their cyclization quantum yield, while the molar absorption coefficients increased with an increasing electron-donating ability. Diarylethenes 1, 2, and 4 show good photochromism both in solution and in the single crystalline phase; however, diarylethenes 5 show no photochromism in the crystalline phase because the distance between the reactive carbons become larger than 4.2 Å. Diarylethenes 1–3 exhibited good fluorescent switching upon alternating irradiation with UV and visible light, and their fluorescent conversions in the photostationary state were all larger than 80% in hexane. In addition, cyclic voltammetry tests showed that different electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents had a remarkable effect on the electrochemical behaviors of these diarylethenes.