Researchers have created photoswitching molecules that can change their properties reversibly not just with light but also with heat. They have demonstrated that these molecules can serve as a rewritable medium for recording information.
In today’s digital world, very few individuals are still saving data on CD-RWs. The technology to rewrite data on compact discs was enabled by phase-change materials that can be modified by lasers using light and heat, though it has a maximum limit of 1,000 rewrites. Currently, scientists exploring photoswitching molecules, which alter their characteristics upon exposure to light, are uncovering potential uses for these materials in areas like photopharmacology and data storage.
Shota Hamatani, a student at the Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Engineering, along with Dr. Daichi Kitagawa and Professor Seiya Kobatake, synthesized aza-diarylethenes. These molecules contain nitrogen instead of carbon, resembling the structure of known photoswitching diarylethenes. The new aza-diarylethenes demonstrated properties of both photoswitching and thermal switching.
The researchers showcased that these innovative photoswitching molecules can act as a rewritable recording medium, where data can be written using light or heat and erased with light.
“Our discoveries are significant for developing switching molecules that can be changed reversibly by both light and heat,” stated Dr. Kitagawa. “They have the potential to pave the way for new functional materials.”
The research results were published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
This research was partially funded by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers JP22J21941 (S.H.), JP21KK0092, JP23K26619, JP24K01458 (D.K.), and JP21H02016 (S.K.), along with support from the Iketani Science and Technology Foundation (D.K).
