Eur. Phys. J. B (2013) 86: 218
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2013-30596-3

Regular Article

Effect of pressure on photochromic furylfulgide^*

Department of Physics, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan

^a e-mail: sekiya@ynu.ac.jp

Received: 13 July 2012
Received in final form: 14 December 2012
Published online: 16 May 2013

Abstract

The effect of pressure on photochromic furylfulgide is investigated using monodispersed molecules in solution and molecules in a single crystal by measuring the optical absorption at room temperature under pressure provided using a diamond anvil cell. Monodispersed open-ring (E-form) and closed-ring (C-form) isomers in solution are stable under high pressure; however, pressure-induced E → C isomerisation is observed in a single crystal composed of E-form molecules above 3.0 GPa without UV irradiation. Photochromism of furylfulgide can be observed under high pressures up to 5.0 GPa in both monodispersed molecules and single crystals. In a single crystal, photoinduced conversion from the E-form to the C-form accelerates above a critical value when the fraction of C-form molecules becomes relatively large; this critical value depends on the applied pressure. The acceleration is due to the effect of the surrounding molecules, i.e., destabilisation of E-form molecules surrounded by a sufficient number of photoconverted C-form molecules results in conversion of the E-form molecule without the absorption of a photon.