Synthesis of a Novel Photochromic Diarylethene and Its Application in Optical Recording Storage

A new unsymmetrical photochromic diarylethene 1-[2-2-methyl-3-benzothiophene-yl]-2-[2-methyl-5-hydroxymethyl-3-thienyl]perfluoroyclopentene was synthesized, its photochromic, fluorescent and optical storage properties were investigated. The compounds exhibited remarkable photochromism both in hexane solution and in PMMA film. In hexane, diarylethene 1 exhibited relatively strong and clear fluorescent switches upon alternating irradiation with UV/vis light when excited at 306 nm. Using 1c as the recording medium, polarization recording was studied and exhibited remarkable optical storage character.