Dithienylethene metallodendrimers with high photochromic efficiency

It has been challenging to achieve multi-photochromic systems without affecting the individual photoswitching properties of the constituent units. Herein, we present the design and synthesis of a new family of platinum-acetylide dendrimers containing up to twenty-one photochromic dithienylethene (DTE) units that exhibit both high photochromic efficiency and individual switching properties. Upon irradiation with ultraviolet (UV) and visible (vis) light, the resultant metallodendrimers display high conversion yield and good fatigue resistance. More interestingly, cyclization-cycloreversion kinetics revealed that the photochromic property of each DTE unit in these metallodendrimers is unaffected by its neighbor and the full ring-closure of up to twenty-one DTE units in one single dendrimer has been achieved. (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

Automated summary

This study presents the successful design and synthesis of a novel family of platinum-acetylide dendrimers, which contain multiple photochromic units and exhibit high photochromic efficiency without affecting the individual switching properties. The resulting metallodendrimers show high conversion yield and fatigue resistance, and the photochromic property of each unit is unaffected by its neighbor. The full ring-closure of up to twenty-one units in one single dendrimer has been achieved.