•Novel porphyrins axially strapped with photochromic diarylethene were constructed.•The porphyrin exhibited totally different but reversible photo-chemical performances.•Diarylethene bridge interacts with porphyrin ring like the lock and key of a gate.Novel porphyrins strapped with photochromic dithienylethene have been developed for photochemical double-throw gated switch. Result shows the strapped porphyrins performed totally different but reversible binding capacity and fluorescence intensity when irradiated by different lights. On the one hand, the photochromism of the dithienylethene bridge is effectively gated by porphyrin ring through binding or unbinding Zn2+. The central Zn2+ in the porphyrin ring is employed as a lock, external H+ as a key, which can alternately turn on/off the photochromic switch of the dithienylethene bridge. On the other hand, the porphyrin's gate for binding/unbinding Zn2+ is reversibly regulated by dithienylethene switch with different irradiation lights. These distinctive properties might be utilized to multi-controlled molecular switches or logic gates.

Photochromic diarylethene derivatives cherishing phenolphthalein moieties were designed and constructed. We present efforts to investigate their versatile performances in multi-responsive properties with multiple stimuli of light, acid/base and temperature/heat. Results show their fluorescence could be on–off switched not only by different lights but also by acid/base. Besides lights and acid/base controllable colour change and fluorescence-changing, altering phase states could also tune their colours via different temperature, which is rare performance for diarylethene derivatives. Especially, the photocylization ratio is as high as 100% for compound 2o bearing two phenolphthalein groups. These versatile properties are helpful to the design of pH sensitive photoswitches, fluorescent sensors, and molecular logical gates.

•Triptycene hybrids decorated different dithienylethene units have been developed.•Multi-dithienylethene switches grafted to triptycene core behaved independently.•The hybrids exhibit distinctive solvent-dependent photochromism in chloride solvents.Dithienylethene and triptycene both have controllable structure and versatile performances. In this study, a series of triptycene hybrids decorated different number of dithienylethene units have been developed for photochromic switch. The synthetic process is facile and efficient and all new compounds were clearly characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS. Their photochromism and spectroscopic properties have been investigated in dichloromethane and tetrahydrofuran. The result revealed that the multi-dithienylethene units grafted to triptycene behaved independently and showed distinctive solvent-dependent photochromism in chloride solvents, which probably due to the introduction of controlled spatial arrangement of triptycene core. These distinctive characteristics might be potential used for high-density multicomponent switches and detection of chloride solvents.

•Five new dithienylethenes with aminopurine and thienopyrimidone were synthesized by a facile one-pot process.•They were found to exhibit reversible photochromism with different quantum yields and considerable molar extinction coefficient.•The introduction of aminopurines and thienopyrimidones into the dithienylethene unit can improve its fatigue resistance.Five new dithienylethenes decorated with purine and pyrimidine derivatives have been conveniently synthesized via a facile one-pot process. All new compounds were characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Their photophysical properties and photochromic behavior were investigated in detail. These compounds exhibit reversible photochromism with good photocyclization/photocycloreversion quantum yields and considerable molar extinction coefficients. The result shows that the introduction of purine and pyrimidine derivatives into the dithienylethene unit has a remarkable effect on their performance, such as photoinduced fatigue resistance, photocyclization/photocycloreversion quantum yields and molar extinction coefficient.