Photochromism and optical recording of a novel diarylethene bearing isoxazole unit

A novel photochromic diarylethene based on Isoxazole Moiety and a Chlorine Atom was synthesized and its photochromic and fluorescent properties were also investigated. The compound exhibited remarkable photochromism, changing from colorless to red after irradiation with UV light both in solution and in PMMA film. In hexane solution and in PMMA film, the open-ring isomer of the diarylethene 1 exhibited relatively remarkable fluorescence. The results showed that this compound exhibited reversible photochromism and good fluorescent switching in solution after irradiation with UV light and visible light. The results demonstrated that the diarylethene compound had attractive properties for polarization holographic optical recording, such as high photosensitivity, high spatial resolution, excellent fatigue-resistance.