Synthesis and application for optical recording of a new diarylethene having a benzene unit

A novel photochromic diarylethene was synthesized and its photochromism, fluorescence properties have been investigated. This compound exhibited good photochromism and functioned as a fluorescence switch upon alternating irradiation with UV and visible light both in solution and in PMMA film. When diarylethene was used as recording medium, the results demonstrated that the diarylethene compound had attractive properties for high density optical storage.