Salicylideneaniline is a Photoswitchable Ferroelectric Crystal

Since the discovery of the first ferroelectric Rochelle salt, most ferroelectrics have been investigated showing thermally triggered symmetry-breaking phase transition. Although photochromism arising from geometrical isomerization was reported as early as 1867, such photoswitchable ferroelectric crystals have scarcely been developed to date. Herein, we report that salicylideneaniline is a photochromic ferroelectric crystal. Upon photoirradiation, the dielectric constant shows obvious switching between high and low dielectric states, and more importantly, the ferroelectric polarization demonstrates quick and reversible switching. This work opens the gate to developing photoswitchable ferroelectrics, which holds great potential for applications in optically controlled smart devices.