Synthesis, photochromism and holographic optical recording of a novel diarylethene bearing a pyrrole unit

A unsymmetrical photochromic diarylethene, 1-[2-methyl-5-(3-fluorophenyl)-3-thienyl]-2 -(2-cyano-1,5-dimethyl-4-pyrryl)hexafluorocyclopentene (1o), was synthesized. The photoconversion ratios from open-ring to closed-ring isomers at photostationary state under UV irradiation in hexane solution was measured by HPLC, and the properties, including photochromism and fluorescence properties were also investigated systematically. The results showed that this compound had good thermal stability and exhibited reversible photochromism, changing from colorless to blue after irradiation with UV light both in solution and in PMMA amorphous film. The open-ring isomer of the diarylethene 1 exhibited relatively strong fluorescence at 427 nm in hexane solution (5x10-5 mol/L) when excited at 340 nm. The fluorescence intensity decreased along with the photochromism upon irradiation with 297 nm light and its closed-ring isomer showed almost no fluorescence. Using diarylethene 1 as recording medium, polarization holographic optical recording was carried out successfully.