Metal Complexes Featuring Photochromic Ligands

Organic photochromic molecules are important for the design of photoresponsive functional materials such as switches and memories. Over the past 10 years, research efforts have been directed towards the incorporation of photoresponsive molecules into metal systems, in order either to modulate the photochromic properties or to photoregulate the redox, optical, and magnetic properties of the organometallic moieties. This chapter focuses on work reported within the last few years in the area of organometallic and coordination complexes containing photochromic ligands. The first part is related to photochromic azo-containing metal complexes. The second part deals with metal complexes incorporating 1,2-dithienylethene (DTE) derivatives. The last three parts are devoted to metal complexes featuring other photochromes such as spiropyran, spirooxazine, benzopyran, and dimethyldihydropyrene derivatives.