Manipulating the transition of aggregated states to control the photochromism in a new triphenylethylene derivative

Abstract

Revealing the differences between crystalline and amorphous states in solid samples can both deepen the understanding of their structure–property relationships and promote the development of versatile materials based on the same compounds. Herein, we report a new triphenylethylene derivative that exhibits different photochromic properties in two aggregated states. The further characterization studies showed that the photochromism was associated with a transition from the crystalline to amorphous state. Moreover, the two aggregated states of samples can be readily interconverted into each other and applied to convertible information storage. This work provides a strategy for controlling photochromism by manipulating the transition of aggregated states, paving a new way for the regulation of photochromism.