Energy Storage upon Photochromic 6-π Photocyclization and Efficient On-Demand Heat Release with Oxidation Stimuli

Photochromic molecules display reversible isomerization reactions between two isomers accompanied by an exchange between heat and chemical potential. A considerable part of the absorbed light energy is stored in and released from the present E-type photochromic molecules, which undergo cyclization reactions under UV light excitation and backward reactions after application of oxidative stimuli. The photochromic nature, thermal stability, and cascade ring-opening reaction of the closed form isomers of eight photochromic terarylenes are studied, and energy storage efficiencies at a single wavelength, η, as high as 23% are experimentally demonstrated. Their efficient photochemical quantum yield for the cyclization reaction markedly contributes to the high energy storage efficiency as well as showing the capability of efficient cascade cycloreversion reactions. Spontaneous cycloreversion reactions are well-suppressed because the forbidden nature of the cycloreversion reaction gives rise to sufficient heat storage duration.