Optically Controlled Thermochromic Switching for Multi-Input Molecular Logic
Journal article, 2022

Leuco dye-based thermochromic materials offer enormous potential for visible molecular logic due to the appealing reversible color-changing effect. The stable color state is uncontrollable as it depends only on the spontaneous protonation of the leuco dye and color developer. There is still a challenge to propose an effective approach to control bistable color function at required temperature. A family of azobenzenes with various alkyl chains (AZO(n)) is designed for protonation competition with leuco dye. The hydrogen bond and Van der Waals forces are formed between color developer and AZO(n). The color developer can be locked to provide the proton for the leuco dye by Z-AZO(n), while it can be released upon Z-to-E photoisomerization. The locked state can be lasted for more than 16 hours. This optically controlled leuco dye-based system demonstrates a visible sequential logic operation with four-input signals, and provides a new type of protonation-based optical control.

Protonation

Thermochromism

Photoisomerization

Azobenzene

Molecular Logic

Author

Liang Fei

Jiangnan University

Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Applied Chemistry

Weidong Yu

Jiangnan University

Zonghuai Wu

Jiangnan University

Yunjie Yin

Jiangnan University

Kasper Moth-Poulsen

Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Applied Chemistry

Institute of Material Science of Barcelona (ICMAB)

Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies

Chaoxia Wang

Jiangnan University

Angewandte Chemie - International Edition

1433-7851 (ISSN) 1521-3773 (eISSN)

Vol. 61 44 e202212483

Subject Categories

Other Mechanical Engineering

Other Engineering and Technologies not elsewhere specified

Other Chemistry Topics

DOI

10.1002/anie.202212483

PubMed

36102669

More information

Latest update

3/7/2024 9