Manipulating the transition of aggregated states to control the photochromism in a new triphenylethylene derivative

Revealing the differences between crystalline and amorphous states in solid samples can both deepen the understanding of their structure-property relationships and promote the development of versatile materials based on the same compounds. Herein, we report a new triphenylethylene derivative that exhibits different photochromic properties in two aggregated states. The further characterization studies showed that the photochromism was associated with a transition from the crystalline to amorphous state. Moreover, the two aggregated states of samples can be readily interconverted into each other and applied to convertible information storage. This work provides a strategy for controlling photochromism by manipulating the transition of aggregated states, paving a new way for the regulation of photochromism. Copyright © 2023 The Royal Society of Chemistry.