Synthesis and spectroscopic properties of photochromic dithienylethene-functionalized subphthalocyanine conjugate

A subphthalocyanine-dithienylethene dyad has been synthesized and characterized by 1H-, [Formula: see text]C-NMR, HR-MS, UV-visible and emission spectroscopy. The results show that photoinduced isomerization of dithienylethene moiety from close-form to opened form can be achieved under visible light using subphthalocyanine as a light-harvesting unit and the fluorescence properties of subphthalocyanine could be modulated by the isomerization state of the dithienylethene moiety.