A colorimetric fluorescent sensor for Cr3+ based on a novel diarylethene with a naphthalimide-rhodamine B group

•A novel diarylethene with a 1,8-naphthalimide-rhodamine B unit was synthesized.•It could respond to light and proton and thus a logic circuit was constructed.•It can also act as a colorimetric fluorescent sensor for Cr3+ in acetonitrile.

A novel photochromic diarylethene with a 1,8-naphthalimide-rhodamine B unit has been synthesized and its photochemical properties were systematically studied. The diarylethene can effectively respond to the stimuli of light, proton, and specific metal ions. When triggered by Cr3+, strong fluorescence was observed at 603 nm due to the opening of the rhodamine B moiety, accompanied with a color change from colorless to purple. The result indicated that the diarylethene could act as a colorimetric fluorescent sensor for Cr3+ in acetonitrile. Moreover, a logic circuit was constructed by using the combinational stimuli of UV/vis and Cr3+/EDTA as inputs and the fluorescence intensity at 603 nm as output.

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