A combination
of polyoxometalates and viologens to construct discoloration
materials with charge transfer has become attractive presently. In
this work, four kinds of POM–viologen color-changing materials
were successfully synthesized, namely, [Cu(1,4-Mbby)2(HPMoVI
10MoV
2O40)] (1), [H2(1,4-Mbby)2]·(SiMo12O40) (2, 1,4-Mbby·Cl = (1-(4-methyl-benzyl)-[4,4’]bipyridinyl-1-ium)chloridate),
[H2(Bypy)2]·(SiMo12O40) (3), and [H(Bypy)]·(Bypy-2)1/2·(PMo12O40) (4, Bypy = 1-benzyl-4,4′-bipyridyinium
chloride, Bypy-2 = 1,1′-dibenzyl-4,4′-bipyridine chloride).
In compound 1, a [Cu(1,4-Mbby)2]4+ subunit caps on the Keggin anion to build a monosupporting cluster.
Compounds 2–4 are discrete structures
with dissociative POMs and viologens. All compounds 1–4 show good reversible photochromic properties
under xenon lamp (300–400 nm) irradiation. Under the stimulation
of current, compounds 1–4 also show
reversible electrochromic properties within a certain range of applied
voltage. The good color-changing properties of these compounds are
due to the generation of free viologen radicals and charge transfer.
Based on their color-changing properties, they can be applied to many
fields, such as ultraviolet detectors, inkless printing, and visual
detection of heavy metal ions. These practical applications are of
positive significance for life and production.