Synthesis of a highly phosphorescent emitting iridium(III) complex and its application in OLEDs

A rigid ligand benzo[de]benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-α]isoquinolin-7-one (biio) was designed and conveniently synthesized, and the corresponding bis-cyclometalated iridium complex (biio)₂Ir(acac) (acac = acetylacetone) was prepared. The light emitting and electrochemical properties of this complex were studied. The complex has the characters of simply synthetic procedure and strong phosphorescence. The electroluminescent device using this complex as dopant was fabricated. The device had the structure of ITO/NPB (40 nm)/Ir complex:CBP (7%, 30 nm)/BCP (15 nm)/Alq₃ (30 nm)/LiF (1 nm)/Al (100 nm). The maximum emission of the device was at 496 nm. The maximum brightness of the device can reach 79640 cd m⁻² with an external quantum efficiency of 12.1% and a maximum current efficiency of 31.7 cd A⁻¹.     

Novel phosphorescent neutral iridium(III) complex with the steric hindrance for highly efficient red organic light-emitting diodes

A novel and highly efficient thiophenquinolone-based red iridium(III) complex bearing a bulky fluorophenyl moiety is designed and synthesized. The complex shows intensive red phosphorescence (596 nm with shoulder at 642 nm), high photoluminescence efficiency (0.62) and broad full width at half maximum (81 nm). The bulky fluorophenyl moiety introduced into the complex could improve the efficiency of electroluminescence with the maximum current efficiency, power efficiency and the external quantum efficiency up to 29.0 cd/A, 30.4 lm/W and 17.6% due to the effective steric hindrance in solid states.     

Synthesis and characterization of cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes containing pyrimidine-based ligands

New pyrimidine derivatives (pyr) have been synthesized using palladium-catalyzed Suzuki coupling reaction. These compounds can undergo cyclometalation with iridium trichloride to form bis-cyclometalated iridium complexes, (pyr)₂Ir(acac) (acac = acetylacetonate; pyr = cyclometalated pyr). The substituents at the both cyclometalated phenyl ring and pyrimidine ring were found to affect both electrochemical and photophysical properties of the complexes. Computation results on these complexes are consistent with the electrochemical and photophysical data. The complexes are green-emitting with good solution quantum yields at ∼0.30. Light-emitting devices using these complexes as dopants were fabricated, and the device performance at 100 mA/cm² are moderate: 9 (17 481 cd/m², 4.8%, 18 cd/A, 5.1 lm/W); 10 (18 704 cd/m², 4.9%, 18.9 cd/A, 4.7 lm/W); 13 (20 942 cd/m², 5.4%, 21.0 cd/A, 6.1 lm/W).     

含5-(三氟甲基)-2-吡啶甲酸的黄光铱配合物的合成、光物理性质及量化计算研究

利用环金属配体2-(2’,4’-二氟苯基)-4-甲基吡啶(dfpmpy)和辅助配体5-(三氟甲基)-2-吡啶甲酸(tfmpic)合成了一个铱配合物[Ir(dfpmpy)₂(tfmpic)],并测定了该配合物的光物理和电化学性质。在乙腈溶液中,配合物发射黄色磷光,其最大波长位于554 nm,理论计算表明其磷光来自于金属和环金属配体到辅助配体的电荷转移跃迁(₃MLCT 或 ₃LLCT)。     

Synthesis and phosphorescent properties of two novel iridium (Ⅲ) complexes bearing bulky tert-butyl substituents

The synthesis and phosphorescence properties of two novel Ir(Ⅲ)complexes bearing tert-butyl substituents,bis(4-tert-butyl-2- phenylbenzothiozolato-N,C~(2′))iridium(Ⅲ)(acetylacetonate)[(tbt)_2Ir(acac)]and bis(4-tert-butyl-1-phenyl-1H-benzimidazolato- N,C~(2′))iridium(Ⅲ)(acetylacetonate)[(tpbi)_2Ir(acac)],are reported,their molecular structures are confirmed by~1H NMR,ESI-MS and elementary analysis.Photoluminescence(PL)studies revealed that they can emit strong green and orange phosphorescence in high quantum yields.Compared to their prototypes lacking of tert-butyl substituents,the two novel iridium(Ⅲ)complexes both have shorter lifetimes and improved or nearly similar PL quantum efficiencies,implying that the exciton quenching is inhibited effectively when molecular steric hindrance increases.The two chelates have great potential to be used as electrophosphorescent materials.     

Sky-blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diode with superior performance based on novel chlorine functionalized iridium(III) complex

A novel and highly efficient chlorine functionalized iridium(III) complex is designed and synthesized. The complex shows intensive sky-blue phosphorescence (with a peak of 492?nm and a shoulder at 524?nm), high photoluminescence efficiency (0.78) and moderate full width at half maximum (62?nm). The aromatic chlorine introduced into the complex provides the robust chemical stability and effective sky-blue phosphorescence for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The maximum power efficiency, current efficiency and external quantum efficiency for the complex based OLED are up to 48.46?lm/W, 55.04?cd/A and 18.47%, respectively.     

Solution-processable high-efficiency bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl functionalized phosphorescent neutral iridium(III) complex for greenish yellow electroluminescence

A novel and highly efficient bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl functionalized iridium(III) complex is designed and synthesized. The complex shows intensive greenish yellow phosphorescence (525?nm with 563?nm as shoulder), high photoluminescence efficiency (0.90) and moderate full width at half maximum (72?nm). The bulky bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl moiety introduced into the complex provides the excellent solubility and effective steric hindrance for solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes. The maximum power efficiency and current efficiency of electroluminescence are 4.13?lm/W and 9.54?cd/A, respectively.     

Rhodium(III) and cadmium(II) complexes based on the polypyridyl ligand 2,3,5,6-tetrakis(2-pyridyl)pyrazine (tppz)

Tppz (2,3,5,6-tetrakis(2-pyridyl)pyrazine) complexes [Rh(tppz)(bpy)Cl][PF₆]₂.acetylacetone (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine) and [{CdCl₂}₂(μ-tppz)].ethylene glycol have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, IR, ¹H NMR, cyclic voltammetry, photoluminescence and electronic spectral studies. Solid state structures of both complexes have been determined by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The structural determination shows that the dinuclear Cd(II) complex, [{CdCl₂}₂(μ-tppz)], is a 1D coordination polymer. An ORTEP drawing of [Rh(tppz)(bpy)Cl][PF₆]₂.acetylacetone shows that the coordination geometry around the Rh(III) center is a distorted octahedron. [{CdCl₂}₂(μ-tppz)] displays intraligand ¹(π–π^*) fluorescence and can potentially serve as a photoactive material. For the mononuclear Rh(III) complex, only a two-electron reduction process occurs at the metal with the elimination of Cl⁻ ligand. The emission of this complex is assigned as πd^* phosphorescence.     

Synthesis and characterization of cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes containing benzoxazole derivatives and different ancillary ligands

The synthesis, structures, electrochemistry, and photophysics of a series of cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes based on benzoxazole derivatives and different β-diketonate ligands are reported. These complexes have a general formula C^∧N₂Ir(LL′) [where C^∧N is a monoanionic cyclometalating ligand; 2-phenylbenzoxazolato (pbo), 2-(4-chlorophenyl)benzoxazolato (cpbo), 2-phenyl-5-chlorobenzoxazolato (pcbo), 2-(3,5-difluorophenyl)benzoxazole (fpbo), or 2-(2-naphthyl)benzoxazolato (nbo), and LL′ is an ancillary ligand; acetylacetonate (acac), dibenzoylmethanate (dbm), or 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoroacetylacetonate (hfacac)]. The complexes (pcbo)₂Ir(acac) (3), (dfpbo)₂Ir(acac) (4), (cpbo)₂Ir(dbm) (7), (dfpbo)₂Ir(dbm) (8), and (dfpbo)₂Ir(hfacac) (9) have been structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. All of the complexes show reversible oxidation between 0.45 and 1.07 V, versus Fc/Fc⁺, and have short luminescence lifetime (τ = 0.1-1.3 μs) at room temperature. Except complex 9, the radiative decay rate (k_r) and nonradiative decay rate (k_nr) of the (C^∧N)₂Ir(LL′) complexes have been determined by using the lifetime and quantum efficiency. The k_r ranges between 2.0 × 10³ and 3.0 × 10⁵ s⁻¹ and k_nr spans a narrower range of values (5.0 × 10⁵ to 7.0 × 10⁶ s⁻¹).     

Highly efficient iridium(III) complexes with diphenylquinoline ligands for organic light-emitting diodes: Synthesis and effect of fluorinated substitutes on electrochemistry, photophysics and electroluminescence

A series of novel cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes bearing 2,4-diphenylquinoline ligands with fluorinated substituent were prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, NMR and mass spectroscopy. The cyclic voltammetry, absorption, emission and electroluminescent properties of these complexes were systematically investigated. Electrochemical studies showed that the oxidation of the fluorinated complexes occurred at more positive potentials (in the range 0.57-0.69 V) than the unfluorinated complex 1 (0.42 V). In view of the energy level, the lowering of the LUMO by fluorination is significantly less than that of the HOMO. The weak and low energies absorption bands in the range of 300-600 nm are well resolved, likely associated with MLCT and ³π-π^∗ transitions. These complexes show strong orange red emission both in the solution and solid state. The emission maxima of the fluorinated complexes showed blue shift by 9, 24 and 15 nm for 2, 3 and 4, respectively, with respect to the unfluorinated analogous 1. Multilayered organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) were fabricated by using the complexes as dopant materials. Significantly higher performance and lower turn-on voltage were achieved using the fluorinated complexes as the emitter than that using the unfluorinated counterpart 1 under the same doping level. OLED devices using complexes 2 and 3 as the phosphorescent dopant at 3 wt% doping level exhibit very high performance. To complex 2, the maximum luminance is 16 410 cd/m² at a current density of 210 mA/cm², and the maximum luminance efficiency and power efficiency are 9.34 cd/A and 5.20 lm/W, respectively, with the emission of 605 nm. To complex 3, those data are 16 797 cd/m² at a current density of 211 mA/cm², 11.12 cd/A and 4.97 lm/W, respectively, with the emission of 593 nm.     

Rheological and photophysical investigations of chromonic-like supramolecular mesophases formed by luminescent iridium(III) ionic complexes in water

Luminescent complexes with general formula [(C^N)₂Ir(N^N)]OCOCH₃, where C^N = 2-phenylpyridine (ppy) and N^N = 2,2?-bipyridine (bpy), self-assemble into ordered ‘soft’ viscous mesophases of chromonic type. By changing the ancillary ligand with 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), a new mesomorphic complex was obtained. The self-assembly into ordered liquid crystalline phases of chromonic type in water was investigated by comprehensive rheological and photophysical studies. By changing the ancillary ligand bpy with phen, assembly into smaller, more symetric aggregates is favoured, resulting in lower viscosity and more dynamic mesophase.     

Acid-induced degradation of phosphorescent dopants for OLEDs and its application to the synthesis of tris-heteroleptic iridium(III) bis-cyclometalated complexes

Investigations of blue phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on [Ir(2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)pyridine)(2)(picolinate)] (FIrPic) have pointed to the cleavage of the picolinate as a possible reason for device instability. We reproduced the loss of picolinate and acetylacetonate ancillary ligands in solution by the addition of Br?nsted or Lewis acids. When hydrochloric acid is added to a solution of a [Ir(C^N)(2)(X^O)] complex (C^N = 2-phenylpyridine (ppy) or 2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)pyridine (diFppy) and X^O = picolinate (pic) or acetylacetonate (acac)), the cleavage of the ancillary ligand results in the direct formation of the chloro-bridged iridium(III) dimer [{Ir(C^N)(2)(μ-Cl)}(2)]. When triflic acid or boron trifluoride are used, a source of chloride (here tetrabutylammonium chloride) is added to obtain the same chloro-bridged iridium(III) dimer. Then, we advantageously used this degradation reaction for the efficient synthesis of tris-heteroleptic cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes [Ir(C^N(1))(C^N(2))(L)], a family of cyclometalated complexes otherwise challenging to prepare. We used an iridium(I) complex, [{Ir(COD)(μ-Cl)}(2)], and a stoichiometric amount of two different C^N ligands (C^N(1) = ppy; C^N(2) = diFppy) as starting materials for the swift preparation of the chloro-bridged iridium(III) dimers. After reacting the mixture with acetylacetonate and subsequent purification, the tris-heteroleptic complex [Ir(ppy)(diFppy)(acac)] could be isolated with good yield from the crude containing as well the bis-heteroleptic complexes [Ir(ppy)(2)(acac)] and [Ir(diFppy)(2)(acac)]. Reaction of the tris-heteroleptic acac complex with hydrochloric acid gives pure heteroleptic chloro-bridged iridium dimer [{Ir(ppy)(diFppy)(μ-Cl)}(2)], which can be used as starting material for the preparation of a new tris-heteroleptic iridium(III) complex based on these two C^N ligands. Finally, we use DFT/LR-TDDFT to rationalize the impact of the two different C^N ligands on the observed photophysical and electrochemical properties.     

Synthesis, characterization and photophysics of fluorene-alt-oxadiazole copolymers containing pendent iridium (III) complex moiety

A series of fluorene-alt-oxadiazole copolymers containing a pendent phosphor chromophore of the (piq)₂Ir(pic) complex were synthesized via the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki coupling reaction, where piq is 1-phenylisoquinoline and pic is picolinic acid. These copolymers exhibited a similar absorption spectrum with a peak at about 330 nm and a typical emission peak at 408 nm in CH₂Cl₂ from the fluorene-alt-oxadiazole backbone. However, a significantly red-shifted emission peak at about 625 nm was observed in the neat films of these copolymers, which are attributed to the pendent iridium (III) complex unit. Using these copolymers as single emission layer, the polymer light-emitting devices with a configuration of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/copolymers/LiF/Al exhibited a saturated red emission with a peak at 632 nm. Significant influence of the attached iridium (III) complex ratio on EL performance was presented. A maximum current efficiency of 1.2 cd/A at 63 mA/cm² and a maximum luminance of 1125 cd/m² at 12 V were achieved from the device with the copolymer containing iridium (III) complex in a 3% molar ratio.     

Effect of substituents on the photoluminescence performance of Ir(III) complexes: Synthesis, electrochemistry and photophysical properties

We have prepared and characterized a series of substituted imidazole ligands namely dmmppi, dmmpfpi, dmdmppi and dmdmpfpi. These compounds will readily undergo cyclometalation with iridium trichloride and form di-irrido and the six coordinated iridium(III) dopants of the substituted imidazole ligands. They emit green colour both in solid and in solution phase. The peak emission wavelength of the dopants (λ_max = 428–497 nm) can be finely tuned depending upon the electronic properties of the phenyl, fluorophyenyl, methoxy phenyl and dimethoxyphenyl substituents as well as their positions in the imidazole ring. These iridium complexes namely Ir(dmmppi)₂(pic) 1a, Ir(dmmpfpi)₂(pic) 1b, Ir(dmdmppi)₂(pic) 1c and Ir(dmdmpfpi)₂(pic) 1d were characterized by ¹H NMR, MS and elemental analysis. All these iridium complexes 1a–1d show unusual high HOMO levels (E_HOMO = 5.21–5.41 eV) and high phosphorescence. These complexes emit green light with exceedingly high efficiency.     

Reactions of half-sandwich rhodium(III) and iridium(III) compounds with pyridinethiolate ligands: Mono-, di-, and tri-nuclear complexes

Neutral trinuclear metallomacrocycles, [Cp^*RhCl(μ-4-PyS)]₃ (3) and [Cp^*IrCl(μ-4-PyS)]₃ (4) [Cp^* = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl, 4-PyS = 4-pyridinethiolate], have been synthesized by self-assembly reactions of [Cp^*RhCl₂]₂ (1) and [Cp^*IrCl₂]₂ (2) with lithium 4-pyridinethiolate, respectively. In situ reaction of complex 3 with three equivalent of lithium 4-pyridinethiolate resulted in [Cp^*Rh(μ-4-PyS)(4-PyS)]₃ (5) containing both skeleton and pendent 4-PyS groups. Chelating coordination of 2-pyridinethiolate broke down the triangular skeleton to give mononuclear metalloligands Cp^*Rh(2-PyS)(4-PyS) (6) and Cp^*Ir(2-PyS)(4-PyS) (7) [2-PyS = 2-pyridinethiolate], which could also be synthesized from Cp^*RhCl(2-PyS) (10) and Cp^*IrCl(2-PyS) (11) with lithium 4-pyridinethiolate. The coordination reactions of 6 with complexes 1 and 2 gave dinuclear complexes [Cp^*Rh(2-PyS)(μ-4-PyS)][Cp^*RhCl₂] (8) and [Cp^*Rh(2-PyS)(μ-4-PyS)][Cp^*IrCl₂] (9), respectively. Molecular structures of 3, 4, 6 and 11 were determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis. All the complexes have been well characterized by elemental analysis, NMR and IR spectra.     

Ruthenium(II), rhodium(III) and iridium(III) based effective catalysts for hydrogenation under aerobic conditions

The new cationic mononuclear complexes [(η⁶-arene)Ru(Ph-BIAN)Cl]BF₄ [η⁶-arene = benzene (1), p-cymene (2)], [(η⁵-C₅H₅)Ru(Ph-BIAN)PPh₃]BF₄ (3) and [(η⁵-C₅Me₅)M(Ph-BIAN)Cl]BF₄ [M = Rh (4), Ir (5)] incorporating 1,2-bis(phenylimino)acenaphthene (Ph-BIAN) are reported. The complexes have been fully characterized by analytical and spectral (IR, NMR, FAB-MS, electronic and emission) studies. The molecular structure of the representative iridium complex [(η⁵-C₅Me₅)Ir(Ph-BIAN)Cl]BF₄ has been determined crystallographically. Complexes 1–5 effectively catalyze the reduction of terephthaldehyde in the presence of HCOOH/CH₃COONa in water under aerobic conditions and, among these complexes the rhodium complex [(η⁵-C₅Me₅)Rh(Ph-BIAN)Cl]BF₄ (4) displays the most effective catalytic activity.     

Synthetically tailored excited states: phosphorescent, cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes and their applications

Phosphorescent iridium(III) complexes are being widely explored for their utility in diverse photophysical applications. The performance of these materials in such roles depends heavily on their excited-state properties, which can be tuned through ligand and substituent effects. This concept article focuses on methods for synthetically tailoring the properties of bis-cyclometalated iridium(III) materials, and explores the factors governing the nature of their lowest excited state.     

Synthesis, photophysical and oxygen-sensing properties of a novel Eu complex incorporated in mesoporous MCM-41

A novel Eu³⁺ complex of Eu(DPIQ)(TTA)₃ (DPIQ=10H-dipyrido [f,h] indolo [3,2-b] quinoxaline, TTA=2-thenoyltrifluoroacetonate) was synthesized and encapsulated in the mesoporous MCM-41, hoping to explore an oxygen-sensing system based on the long-lived Eu³⁺ emitter. The Eu(DPIQ)(TTA)₃/MCM-41 composites were characterized by infrared spectra (IR), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption spectra, small-angle X-ray diffraction (SAXRD), luminescence intensity quenching upon various oxygen concentrations, and fluorescence decay analysis. The results indicated that the composites exhibited the characteristic emission of the Eu³⁺ ion and the fluorescence intensity of ⁵D₀-⁷F₂ obviously decreased with increasing oxygen concentrations. The oxygen sensing properties of the composites with different loading levels of Eu(DPIQ)(TTA)₃ complex were investigated. A sensitivity of 3.04, a short response time of 7 s, and good linearity were obtained for the composites with a loading level of 20 mg/g. These results are the best reported values for optical oxygen-sensing materials based on Eu³⁺ complexes so far.