Photoswitchable sexithiophene-based molecular wires

Photochromic sexithiophenes were prepared by oxidative electrochemical coupling of terthiophenes. The redox properties in the open state are typical of sexithiophenes. Ring closure of both photochromic units leads to a decrease in the energy of the LUMO orbitals with little affect on the energy of the HOMO orbitals. The photochemical tuning of the conjugation of a molecular wire is achieved by combining dithienylethene units with a sexithiophene.