Reaction‐based photo‐responsive molecular systems have been used as a reliable platform for building intelligent materials, but often suffer from high inactivity in terms of conversion efficiency and reversibility when it… Click to show full abstract
Reaction‐based photo‐responsive molecular systems have been used as a reliable platform for building intelligent materials, but often suffer from high inactivity in terms of conversion efficiency and reversibility when it comes to solid‐state applications. Herein, a class of Spiro‐conjugated diphenylindene (DPI) aggregation‐induced emission materials that exhibit solid‐state photocyclization‐based photochromism and photoluminescence, achieved by manipulating through‐space CBr···π halogen interactions is reported. In the crystalline state, the Spiro bridge enables a pair of perpendicularly configured CBr···π interactions that suppress photoluminescence while activating a highly reversible (>10 000 cycles) and efficient photochromism based on photocyclization. After breaking this intermolecular CBr···π interaction, for example, by grinding, the solid‐state photochromic properties are sensitively de‐activated. In addition, this spontaneously reversible photochromism behavior gives a controllable decolorization time (from a few seconds to a few minutes), depending on the light exposure conditions, while displaying a luminescence change. In a proof‐of‐principle study, these photo‐function features demonstrate an attractive potential for novel anti‐counterfeiting applications. This work reveals the efficient regulation of CBr···π halogen interactions for spatial molecular packing, molecular electronic transitions, and chemical transformations, paving the way for the development of solid‐state intelligent materials with good reversibility.
               
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