Intercalation of spirooxazine induced by zinc cation chelation in montmorillonite and its photochromic behavior

Spirooxazine (SPO) was introduced into hydrophobically modified montmorillonite dispersed in acetone under UV illumination in the presence of zinc ions. The fluorescence spectra of the samples exhibited photochromic behavior arising from the photoinduced interconversion between the original species of SPO and the Zn-chelated complex of the SPO-derived merocyanine.