New white light-emitting halochromic stilbenes with remarkable quantum yields and aggregation-induced emission.

Highly efficient single-component white light emitters (SWLEs), are attractive candidates for the simple and cost-effective fabrication of high-performance lighting devices. This study introduced a donor-π-acceptor and a donor-π-donor stilbene-based chromophores, representing pH-responsive fluorescence. The emitters showed yellow and green fluorescence in their neutral form. At the same time, protonation of the chromophores caused blue fluorescence color with a strong hypsochromic shift. The white light emission (WLE) for these chromophores was observed at approximately pH 3 due to the simultaneous presence of the neutral and protonated forms of the chromophores, covering almost all the emission spectra in the visible region (400-700 nm). These chromophores presented exceptional white light quantum yields (Φ) between 31 and 54%, which was desirable for producing white light-emitting devices. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent (TD)-DFT were applied to study the structural and electronic properties of the chromophores.

Development of molecular photoswitch with very fast photoresponse based on asymmetrical bis-azospiropyran.

To study the effects of an extended bis-azo conjugated bridge with two different photochemical functions on a molecule in photochromic responses, a novel asymmetrical bifunctional bis-azo spiropyran photochromic dye was designed and synthesized. The obtained photoresponses were compared with symmetrical bifunctional bis-azo spiropyran analogues, and relative mono-azo and simple spiropyrans. Colourimetric behaviour, luminescence, and switching kinetics of all the dyes were studied. The largest molar absorption coefficient in merocyanine form, quickest response to light, and highest fluorescence quantum yield of the spiropyran form with a superior ratio of emission intensities of spiropyran to merocyanine form were achieved for the asymmetric bis-azospiropyran. Solvatochromic effect was studied to observe the solvent effects on non-irradiation colouration of the photochromic dyes. Furthermore, The molecular energy levels for optimized geometries of the synthesized bis-azospiropyrans and their probable photochemical products were obtained at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory.