S-Tetrazine-Bridged Photochromic Aromatic Framework Material

Abstract

Integrating fluorescent chromophores in aromatic frameworks could not only prevent aggregation-induced quenching caused by the π–π stacking interaction between the chromophore components but also confer new fluorescence properties. Herein, we report the fabrication of s-tetrazine-bridged aromatic frameworks TzAF by the incorporation of the smallest aromatic fluorophore, s-tetrazine (Tz), into the skeleton of a tetrahedrally connected lattice of aromatic frameworks. The thin films of TzAF coated on silica gel plates were found to exhibit reversible photoswitching fluorescence characteristics under alternate UV and visible-light irradiations with excellent fluorescence stability and high on/off contrast. The repeatable “on/off”fluorescence photoswitchability of the TzAF thin films was mechanistically attributed to light-induced reversible transformation between TzAF’s neutral and radical states.