Bistable Photoswitching of Hemithioindigo with Green and Red Light: Entry Point to Advanced Molecular Digital Information Processing.

Photoswitches reacting to visible light instead of harmful UV irradiation are of very high interest due to the mild and broadly compatible conditions of their operation. Shifting the absorption into the red region of the electromagnetic spectrum usually comes at the cost of losing thermal stability of the metastable state-the switch switches off by itself. Only recently have photoswitches become available that combine visible light responsiveness with high bistability.