Optical Switching and Fluorescence Modulation Properties of Photochromic Metal Complexes Derived from Dithienylethene Ligands

Novel perfluorocyclopentene-derived metallic complexes exhibit pronounced photochromic properties that can form the basis of nondestructive read-out models in optical memory devices. The methodology is described, discussed, and illustrated here by a scheme that represents the interconversion between the open form and the closed form of a tungsten photochromic complex.