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Two-Photon-Induced Isomerization of Spiropyran/Merocyanine at the Air/Water Interface Probed by Second Harmonic Generation.

Photochromic molecules often exhibit switchable hyperpolarizabilities upon photoisomerization between two molecular states and can be widely applied in nonlinear optical materials. Photoisomerization can occur through either one-photon or two-photon processes. Two-photon-induced isomerization has several advantages over one-photon process but has not been fully explored. In the present study, we have used second harmonic generation to investigate the two-photon-induced isomerization between spiropyran and merocyanine at the air/water interface. We show that spiropyran and merocyanine can be converted into each other reversibly with 780-nm laser-beam irradiation through two-photon processes. We also investigated the isomerization rates under various incident laser powers. Quantitative analysis revealed that the isomerization rates of spiropyran and merocyanine depend differently on the laser power. We attribute the difference to the distinct molecular structures of spiropyran and merocyanine. At the interface, nonplanar spiropyran molecules exist mainly as monomers, whereas planar merocyanine molecules form aggregates. Upon aggregation, steric hindrance effects and excitonic coupling efficiently arrest the photoisomerization of merocyanine. This work provides an in-depth understanding of two-photon-induced isomerization at the interface, which is beneficial for designing and controlling optical thin-film materials.