Photochromic polymolybdate-citric acid composite films were fabricated. It was found that after UV irradiation the composite films with different molar ratios of organic/inorganic components exhibited different colors. The UV-irradiated films showed dark blue, dark khaki and light sea green colors when the ratios were 1.0, 0.3 and 0.2, respectively. It was identified by Raman spectra that the polymolybdate species formed in the composite films after UV irradiation were sensitive to the ratios of the organic/inorganic components, thus resulting in the different colors of irradiated films. Citric acid played an important role during the photochromic process. Under UV light irradiation, it served as hole scavenger that suppresses the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes to make the polymolybdates show UV light photochromism.
Organic nanotubes from two kinds of chiral molecules, R-di-2-naphthylprolinol （DNP） with an asymmetric carbon atom and R-（＋）-1,1＇-bi-2-naphthol dimethyl ether （BNDE） with the conformational asymmetry, were prepared by the immersing technique using porous alumina membranes as the template. It was found that the nanotubes from DNP with an asymmetric carbon atom presented the same chirality as the solution with slight red shift of the CD signals upon the formation of the nanotubes, while no well-defined chirality could be identified for the nanotubes from BNDE with the conformational asymmetry.
