Transition metal functionalized photo- and redox-switchable diarylethene based molecular switches

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

In this review recent progress in combining metal carbonyl and bipyridyl transition metal complexes with dithienylethene photochromic switches is discussed. A key challenge in designing such systems is to allow for interaction between the various components, but without loss in photochemical activity, i.e. the cyclization/cycloreversion of the dithienylethene unit. Examples of where the properties of the switching unit can be fine-tuned either photochemically or electrochemically by the addition of either bipyridyl transition metals or organometallic moieties to the switch will be highlighted.