Electro-photoswitching

Electro-photoswitching devices possess a dual mode operation resulting from different electrochemical properties in the two photo-interconvertible states. They may display both photochromism and electrochromism. They allow the photomodulation of electrochemical properties as was shown to occur in photochromic dihydroazulene derivatives [8.247]. Separate photochemical and electrochemical interconversion has been realized in systems containing a photoactive azo [8.248, 8.249] or dihydroazulene [8.250] unit appended with an anthraquinone moiety. 

The quinone-hydroquinone redox couple built into complexes 124 and 125 fulfils the requirements for the design of a bistable electro-photoswitch both the oxidized and reduced forms are isolable and stable the reduced form 125 is luminescent, whereas the oxidized form 124 is quenched the electrochemical interconversion of the two species is reversible [8.256]. 

Goulle, V., Harriman, A., Lehn, J. M., An electro-photoswitch - redox switching of the luminescence of a bipyridine metal-complex. J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun. 1993, 1034-1036. 

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