Intense redox-driven chiroptical switching with a 580 mV hysteresis actuated through reversible dimerization of an azoniahelicene

Abstract

Electrochemical reduction of an azoniahelicene affords a dimer, accompanied by a strong change in the electronic circular dichroism. The fast dimerisation event leads to a >500 mV shift of the oxidation potential, affording a large area of bistability, where the chiroptical signal only depends on the redox history.