Photochromic polyurethanes (PPUs) are synthesised by reaction between a diarylethene end-capped with hydroxyl groups and an aliphatic diisocyanate. In situ polymerisation provides amorphous films with remarkable optical properties. The possibility to vary the amount and the chemical structure of the photochromic monomer without affecting the reactivity of the polymerization allows one to tune in a wide range the optical properties of these films. In addition, different diarylethenes can be mixed together to give copolymers which may find application as photochromic layers for multistate optical memories. A setup for a non-destructive readout based on Raman signal is proposed

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The development of photochromic Computer Generated Holograms (CGHs) to test any complex optics, such as aspheres and free-form optics, is described. A thermally irreversible photochromic polyurethane has been synthesized to give good thin films with a strong modulation of the optical transmission. The photochromic CGH has been tested with a simple interferometrical configuration showing promising results. The use of photochromic CGHs provides advantages over standard technologies, as rewritability and self developing.

Planar organic detectors for the near infrared region of the light spectrum have been realized, processing from solution the quinoid molecule 5,5′-bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-oxo-2,5-cyclohexadiene-1-ylidene)-5,5′-dihydro-2,2′-bithiophene (QBT), which shows a peculiar absorption at 680 nm. Sensitization of the active material was obtained by creating a bulk donor-acceptor interface with poly[2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene], which acts as hole acceptor. Photoexcitation and relaxation dynamics in pristine materials and bulk heterojunction have been investigated by means of pump-probe measurements, revealing charge transfer from QBT to polymer and efficient energy transfer the other way round.