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Advances in Dyes and Photochromics
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Advances in Dyes and Photochromics

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Photochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 16 August 2026 | Viewed by 2538

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jose Antonio Gonzalez Delgado

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CIQSO, Center for Research in Sustainable Chemistry and Department of Chemistry, University of Huelva, 21004 Huelva, Spain
Interests: organic synthesis; supramolecular chemistry and/or dyes/photochromic compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Agostina-Lina Capodilupo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Italian National Research Council | CNR, Institute of Nanotechnology, Rome, Italy
Interests: organic dyes; organic emissive materials; organic semiconductors; open-shell organic conjugated materials; electrochromic organic materials; electrofluorochromic organic materials; self-assembly into organic materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Jesús F. Arteaga

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
CIQSO—Center for Research in Sustainable Chemistry and Department of Chemistry, University of Huelva, 21071 Huelva, Spain
Interests: organic synthesis; natural products; supramolecular chemistry in water media; bioactive compounds; photoactive organic compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The field of dyes and photochromic compounds has undergone remarkable advancements in recent years, driven by breakthroughs in synthetic chemistry, molecular engineering, and material science. This Special Issue highlights the latest developments in the design, synthesis, and application of these versatile materials, which are increasingly critical in diverse sectors such as smart textiles, environmental monitoring, electronics, and biomedicine. Key compounds, including azobenzenes, spiropyrans, and diarylethenes, have been optimized for enhancements in solubility, stability, and fatigue resistance, enabling their long-term performance in practical applications.

A particular focus has been placed on the role of green chemistry in developing eco-friendly and cost-effective dyes, as well as on the molecular engineering of photochromic materials to achieve tailored optical properties, such as color modulation, switching speed, and environmental adaptability. These innovations have paved the way for groundbreaking applications, including light-responsive smart textiles, UV sensors, high-density optical data storage, and light-controlled drug delivery systems.

This Special Issue also explores emerging trends, such as the integration of photochromic materials with multifunctional composites and the use of artificial intelligence for accelerated material design. By showcasing cutting-edge research and applications, this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the field and inspire future innovations in dyes and photochromics.

Dr. José A. González-Delgado
Dr. Agostina-Lina Capodilupo
Prof. Dr. Jesús F. Arteaga
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • photochromic compounds
  • green chemistry
  • molecular engineering
  • smart materials
  • environmental monitoring
  • electronic textiles
  • light-responsive materials
  • functional dyes
  • optical data storage
  • biomedical applications

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 2241 KB  
Article
DFT-Based Design and Characterization of Organic Chromophores Based on Symmetric Thio-Bridge Quinoxaline Push–Pull (STQ-PP) for Solar Cells
by Edwin Rivera, Alex Garavis, Juan Garcia, Oriana Avila and Ruben Fonseca
Molecules 2026, 31(6), 927; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31060927 - 11 Mar 2026
Abstract
Organic solar cells require molecular materials with broad absorption and proper energy-level alignment to maximize photon harvesting and charge transport; in this context, this work focuses on the computational design and characterization of π-conjugated push–pull chromophores, providing an integrated evaluation of their electronic, [...] Read more.
Organic solar cells require molecular materials with broad absorption and proper energy-level alignment to maximize photon harvesting and charge transport; in this context, this work focuses on the computational design and characterization of π-conjugated push–pull chromophores, providing an integrated evaluation of their electronic, thermodynamic, and optoelectronic properties for photovoltaic applications. The chromophores were optimized using DFT/ b3lyp/6-31g+(d,p) in Gaussian16, incorporating solvation effects through the CPCM model. Electronic, thermodynamic, and optical properties were investigated using DFT and TD-DFT/CAM-B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p), including the calculation of absorption and emission spectra, first hyperpolarizability, and two-photon absorption. The STQ-PP chromophores exhibit differentiated optoelectronic responses, with DTTQ-DPP-1 showing an energy gap of 0.82–0.86 eV, stabilized LUMO levels between −2.50 and −2.61 eV, high electronic polarizability, and optical absorption extended beyond 800 nm, favoring the harvesting of low-energy photons, whereas DTTQ-DPP displays a gap close to 2.70 eV and absorption predominantly localized in the UV region, associated with potentially inferior photovoltaic performance. Compared with commercial donor materials, DTTQ-DPP-1 exhibits a red-shifted absorption into the NIR and a smaller gap, indicating enhanced low-energy photon capture; its structural stability and increased rigidity further support its photovoltaic viability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Dyes and Photochromics)
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12 pages, 2048 KB  
Article
Violet Anthraquinone for Expanding the Color Palette of Electrochromes with Three Discrete Colors and Full Color Bleaching
by Ilies Seddiki, Thierry Maris and W. G. Skene
Molecules 2026, 31(5), 879; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31050879 - 6 Mar 2026
Viewed by 179
Abstract
An anthraquinone chromophore displaying a vivid violet color in solution was synthesized and it was thoroughly characterized both spectroscopically and electrochemically, along with its X-ray crystallography. Single crystal X-ray analysis of the chromophore revealed a nearly planar π-conjugated framework with short intermolecular contacts. [...] Read more.
An anthraquinone chromophore displaying a vivid violet color in solution was synthesized and it was thoroughly characterized both spectroscopically and electrochemically, along with its X-ray crystallography. Single crystal X-ray analysis of the chromophore revealed a nearly planar π-conjugated framework with short intermolecular contacts. Cyclic voltammetry revealed two consecutive one-electron reductions, corresponding to the formation of its radical anion and dianion. The spectroelectrochemistry of the chromophore confirmed two distinct and reversible color changes with the stepwise electrochemical reduction. These were quantified via the CIE L a* b* color space. Large optical differences (98%) between the bleached and colored states were observed along with a coloration efficiency of 698 cm2/C. These parameters confirm the anthraquinone is an ideal electrochrome: capable of reversibly switching its colors with applied potential. The three color changes and color bleaching associated with the neutral, radical anion, dianion, and cation, respectively, are also of interest for extending the palette of colors of molecular electrochromes toward panchromatic color tuning with molecular structure for use in smart windows and displays. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Dyes and Photochromics)
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16 pages, 9881 KB  
Article
CaS:Mn1-xPbx Luminescent Material Production from Phosphogypsum
by Zlatislava D. Khliyan, Nina P. Shabelskaya, Oleg A. Medennikov, Marina A. Egorova, Darya V. Yakhonova, Galina N. Zemchenko, Yuliya A. Gaidukova, Vera A. Baranova, Asatullo M. Radjabov and Angelika V. Serik
Molecules 2026, 31(1), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31010040 - 22 Dec 2025
Viewed by 384
Abstract
This paper explores the feasibility of producing manganese- and lead-doped luminescent materials from phosphogypsum. For the first time, orange- and red-emitting ultraviolet pigments were obtained using a sulfide matrix reduced from phosphogypsum. The resulting materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron [...] Read more.
This paper explores the feasibility of producing manganese- and lead-doped luminescent materials from phosphogypsum. For the first time, orange- and red-emitting ultraviolet pigments were obtained using a sulfide matrix reduced from phosphogypsum. The resulting materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Doping with manganese or lead cations is shown to produce luminophores whose luminescence shifts from orange to red–orange under UV radiation as lead cations replace manganese cations in the CaS:Mn1-xPbx solid solution. A sharp increase in red luminescence intensity was observed for CaS: Mn luminophores when they were irradiated with short-wavelength ultraviolet radiation. These results open up broad possibilities for using phosphogypsum, a high production volume (HPV) chemical waste product, to produce highly innovative products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Dyes and Photochromics)
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20 pages, 2872 KB  
Article
Egyptian Blue into Carboxymetylcellulose: New Dual-Emissive Solid-State Luminescent Films
by Mariana Coimbra, Francesco Fagnani, Gisele Peres, Paulo Ribeiro-Claro, Juan Carlos Otero, Daniele Marinotto, Dominique Roberto and Mariela Nolasco
Molecules 2025, 30(11), 2359; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30112359 - 28 May 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1496
Abstract
The development and characterization of a sustainable carboxymethylcellulose (CMC)-based material hosting Egyptian blue (EB) as a luminophore with emission in both the visible and NIR regions is herein presented and discussed, demonstrating its potential to be applied in a variety of applications, such [...] Read more.
The development and characterization of a sustainable carboxymethylcellulose (CMC)-based material hosting Egyptian blue (EB) as a luminophore with emission in both the visible and NIR regions is herein presented and discussed, demonstrating its potential to be applied in a variety of applications, such as bioimaging, sensing, and security marking. Solution casting was used to synthesize the films, with citric acid (CA) as a crosslinking agent. Fully characterization was performed using attenuated total reflection (ATR) and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy, zeta potential, UV–Vis, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and thermal analysis techniques, such as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results confirm the effective crosslinking of CMC with CA within CMC–EB–CA films with 1.5 and 3% of EB. The introduction of EB retained its usual NIR emission with λem max = ~950 nm reaching quantum yield values in the range of 11.2–12.8% while also enabling a stable dispersion within the CMC matrix, as confirmed using CARS imaging and zeta potential. Additionally, the CMC films exhibited the characteristic clustering-triggered emission (CTE) in the blue region at 430 nm with a slight increase in luminescence quantum yield (Φ) from 5.8 to 6.1% after crosslinking with citric acid. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Dyes and Photochromics)
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