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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 November 2025 | Viewed by 511

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
CIQSO—Center for Research in Sustainable Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Huelva, 21071 Huelva, Spain
Interests: organic synthesis; supramolecular chemistry; host–guest chemistry; dyes; photochromics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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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

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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

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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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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 2872 KiB  
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
Viewed by 403
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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