Photoresponsive diarylethene single crystals

ORGN 644

Masahiro Irie, irie@cstf.kyushu-u.ac.jp, Department of Chemistry, Rikkyo University, Toshima-ku Nishi-ikebukuro 3-34-1, 171-8501 Tokyo, Japan
Some diarylethene derivatives undergo photochromism even in the single crystalline phase. The single crystalline photochromism was proved by dichroism as well as in situ X-ray crystallographic analysis. The X-ray crystallographic analysis revealed that the end to end distance of the long molecular axis and the thickness of the molecules shrink upon irradiation with UV light and expand upon visible irradiation. The geometrical structural change in crystals induced the reversible change of the surface morphology of the single crystals (1,2). Furthermore, the molecular crystals based on diarylethene chromophores and with size ranging from 10 to 100 micrometers exibit rapid and reversible macroscopic changes in shape and size induced by UV and visible light.

1. M. Irie et al., Science 291, 1769 (2001) 2. M. Morimoto, M. Irie, Chem. Commun. 3895 (2005)