Very efficient two-photon induced photo-tautomerization in non-symmetrical phthalocyanines

In this work we demonstrate that non-symmetrically substituted phthalo-naphthalocyanine molecule can have extremely large 2PA cross section in near-resonance conditions of excitation. We also show the possibility to switch between its two tautomeric forms upon two-photon excitation at 77 K. By measuring 2PA cross section, quantum efficiency of transformation in these two forms, as well as quantum yield of fluorescence, we evaluate the figure of merit for fast re-writable 3D information storage and show that this figure meets the criteria of reliable and fast (one bit per one femtosecond pulse) 2PA writing or reading.