Thiourea-Driven Mild Synthesis of Photochromic Zeolite without H₂ for Transient Information Storage

The synthesis of hackmanite has been a topic of research for nearly 100 years, but up to now, the reported synthesis methods inevitably use reducing H₂ to introduce the F-center through high-temperature calcination to make it change color, which extremely hinders its energy efficient large-scale synthesis before commercial applications. Herein, we present a facile route to synthesize hackmanite by using organic sulfur source thiourea as a precursor in a mild and hydrogen-free process. The synthesized hackmanite exhibits UVC-specific response, fast response, high contrast coloring, and fast fading at room temperature. In view of its photochromic features, a proof-of-concept is presented for transient information storage and burning-after-reading protection; the written information can be automatically erased within 8 min at room temperature.