Photo-Switchable Aggregation-Induced Emission of Bisthienylethene-Dipyrimido[2,1- b ][1,3]benzothiazole Triad.

A bisthienylethene-dipyrimido[2,1- b ][1,3]benzothiazole ( BTE-2PBT ) triad has been designed and synthesized based on our recent discovery of PBTs as atypical propeller-shaped novel AIEgens. The triad not only maintains the photochromic properties of BTE moiety in solution, film, and solid state but also exhibits remarkable AIE properties. Moreover, the fluorescence of BTE-2PBT PMMA film could be modulated with high contrast by alternate UV and visible light irradiation. Photoerasing, rewriting, and non-destructive readout of fluorescent images on BTE-2PBT PMMA film well demonstrate its potential application as optical memory media.