A fast responsive photochromic SCC-MOF for photoswitching and information encryption

Constructing novel photoswitch silver-chalco-genolate cluster-based metal-organic framewrorks (SCC-MOFs) presents a considerable challenge owing to their instability and limited stimulation-responsive properties. Herein, a novel photochromic SCC-MOF (Ag₁₂-BMPTC) was designed and synthesized using a diarylethene ligand and an SCC. Ag₁₂-BMPTC exhibits superior reversible photo-responsive characteristics under light irradiation (365 and 500 nm). This photoswitching behavior enables its potential applications in information encryption and chirality switches, making it as the first example of such capabilities in photochromic SCC-MOFs. This study not only expands the range of SCC-MOFs but also proposes a new strategy for designing and synthesizing novel photochromic materials.