Patent ID: 6433270
Filing Date: 2002-08-13
Classification: B82Y,C09K,G11C,H01L,Y02E,Y10S

Abstract:
A solid photochromic photoisomerizable organometallic coordination complex having the structure wherein said complex has a ground state and at least one metastable state having different optical and/or electrical properties, wherein said metastable state can be accessed by photoexcitation, and wherein M is a metal atom capable of transferring a charge upon absorption of light; I is an imine-containing ligand comprising at least one C&boxH;Nâ€”RI imine group and coordinated with M through the free electron pair on the imine nitrogen, wherein RI comprises a carbon, nitrogen, oxygen or hydrogen atom bound to the imine nitrogen; L is a photoisomerizable ligand bound to M by a bond exhibiting linkage isomerism, and L is bound to the metal in the isomeric form found in the metastable state; and X1, X2, X3 and X4 are each independently selected from ligands that form a coordination complex with the metal M, said ligands being monodentate or being optionally linked or fused to each other and/or to I and/or L to form one or more didentate or terdentate ligands or a tetradentate ligand, or two of X1, X2, X3 and X4 are not present where M is tetracoordinate.