Novel Ethene-Bridged Diarylethene Photochromic Systems: Self-Assembly, Photoswitcher, And Molecular Logic Gates

The last decade has witnessed the great expansion of the photochromic family, especially the most promising representative, diarylethene, owing to the excellent thermal stability and outstanding fatigue resistance. Till now, (perfluoro/hydro) cyclopentene bridge has been proved to be the best choice for diarylethenes. However, cyclopentene bridge also limits the molecular modification within the side aryl groups. In fact, other novel ethene bridges would enlarge the versatility of diarylethene architectures, enhance the photochromic performance, and finally endow other photo-modulated properties. This chapter summarizes the recent development in the diarylethenes with novel ethene bridge and their applications on self-assembly, photoswitcher, and molecular logic gates.