Mechanically controlled FRET to achieve high-contrast fluorescence switching

Organic luminescent materials with the ability to reversibly switch the luminescence when subjected to external stimuli have attracted considerable interest in recent years. However, luminescent materials with mechanochromic and photochromic dual-responsive properties are rarely reported. Hererin, we designed and synthesized a molecule P1 with dipeptide as a spacer to link rhodamine B and spiropyran moieties. P1 exhibited efficient photochromic properties both in solution and solid state. High-contrast independent fluorescence switch was also realized under the stimulus of external force. Moreover, two-step ring opening reaction and subsequent fluorescence resonance energy transfer process between the donor-acceptor pairs within one single molecule achieved successive color switch by mechanical control. Therefore, this behavior of P1 made it a promising candidate for high-contrast and sensitive optical recording and mechanical sensing system.