1,2‐Dithienyldicyanoethene‐Based, Visible‐Light‐Driven, Chiral Fluorescent Molecular Switch: Rewritable Multimodal Photonic Devices

Reported here is the first example of a 1,2-dithienyldicyanoethene-based visible-light-driven chiral fluorescent molecular switch that exhibits reversible trans to cis photoisomerization. The trans form in solution almost completely transforms into the cis form, accompanied by a 10-fold decrease in its fluorescence intensity within 60 seconds when exposed to green light (520 nm). The reverse isomerization proceeds upon irradiation with blue light (405 nm). When doped into commercially available achiral liquid crystal hosts, this molecular switch efficiently induces luminescent helical superstructures, that is, a cholesteric phase. The intensity of the circularly polarized fluorescence as well as the selective reflection wavelength of the induced cholesteric phases can be reversibly tuned using visible light of two different wavelengths. Optically rewritable photonic devices using cholesteric films containing this molecular switch are described.