Control of Photochromic Reaction by Using Crystalline-State Reaction

Abstract

Photochromism is reversible change of color by photoirradiation. In recent years, photochromic compounds have been attracting considerable attention of the chemists because of their potential application in optical memory media and optical switching devices etc. However, photochromic property such as the lifetime of the colored species depends on the crystal structure of the compounds, therefore it is difficult to control. Here we designed new hybrid cobalt complexes with photochromic compounds and show the dynamical change of the color fading rate of photochromic compounds by structural change with photoisomerization of alkyl group of the complexes in the crystalline-state.