Photoswitching of luminescence from red emitting CsPbI ₃ quantum dots at the single-particle level using a zwitterionic diarylethene ligand

Photoswitching of luminescence at the single-molecule or single-nanoparticle level offers great potential for applications in various fields, including high-density optical memories and super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. Among the various luminophores employed for such applications, perovskite quantum dots show superior optoelectronic properties. However, the hybrid systems of perovskite quantum dots and photochromic molecules (diaryethenes) suffer from low stability during multiple photoswitching cycles. To adress this issue and realize photoswitching at the single-particle level for advanced applications, extensive studies on the photoswitching mechanism in these systems have been conducted. The knowledge gained from these studies has allowed for designing a stable hybrid system that can function at the single-particle level. Here we report on a hybrid system of a photochromic diarylethene having a zwitterionic anchoring moiety and red emitting perovskite quantum dots which exhibits reversible and stable photoswitching of luminescence in solution. Furthermore, photoswitching of luminescence from the perovskite quantum dots was successfully demonstrated at the single-nanoparticle level.