Oxygen‐Acceptor‐Driven High Photochromic Contrast Solid‐State Excited‐State Intramolecular Proton Transfer Photoswitches

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Abstract
Developing high photochromic contrast photoswitches in the solid state remains a significant challenge in organic smart materials. We here provide an oxygen‐acceptor strategy for constructing an excited‐state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT)‐inspired organic photoswitch, namely tpm SA . By introducing a bulky triphenylmethane into the salicylaldehyde skeleton, tpm SA can achieve photochromic behavior in the solid state. Upon exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, tpm SA displays distinct color variation from white to yellow, yielding a high photochromic contrast ( ΔE* Lab >74). Kinetic studies suggest that tpm SA can undergo rapid photoisomerization and is capable of reversible switching for over 20 cycles, demonstrating superior fatigue resistance. Mechanistic studies reveal that the weakly alkaline oxygen‐acceptor in tpm SA significantly enhances photochromic contrast by suppressing the ground‐state intramolecular proton transfer (GSIPT) pathway. The photopatterning and high‐level information encryption were successfully developed by tpm SA . This study proposes an oxygen−acceptor strategy for developing solid‐state photoswitches with high photochromic contrast, demonstrating great potential for advanced information encryption materials.
Funding Information
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (22408233)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (22308220)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (22090011)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (22525803)
  • Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province (2023B1515120001)
  • Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province (2025A1515012197)
  • Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Program (JCYJ20250604181343059)

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