Efficient greenish blue electrochemiluminescence from fluorene and spirobifluorene derivatives

The spectroscopic and electrochemical behavior as well as electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of a series of donor-π-donor derivatives bearing triphenylamine groups as donor connected to a fluorene, 2,7-bis-(4-(N,N-diphenylamino)phen-1-yl)-9,9'-dimethylfluorene (1), or spirobifluorene core, 2,7-bis-(4-(N,N-diphenylamino)phen-1-yl)-9,9'-spirobifluorene (2) and 2,2',7,7'-tetrakis(4-(N,N-diphenylamino)phen-1-yl)-9,9'-spirobifluorene (3), were investigated. Besides a high photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield in solution (between 81 and 87%), an efficient radical ions annihilation process induces intense greenish blue ECL emission that could be seen with the naked eye. Only the tetrasubstituted spirobifluorene derivative (compound 3) shows weak ECL obtained by a direct annihilation mechanism. Because the energy of the annihilation reaction is higher than the energy required to form the singlet excited state, the S-route could be considered the pathway followed by the ECL process in these molecules. The ECL emissions recorded by direct ion-ion annihilation show two bands compared to the single structureless PL band. The ECL spectra obtained by a coreactant approach using benzoylperoxide as a coreagent show no differences relative to that produced by annihilation, except for an increasing of ECL intensity for all compounds.     

Tuning emissive states in electrogenerated chemiluminescence

Electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) arising from the reaction of radical ions has previously be shown to arise from a variety of states including excited singlets, triplets, excimers, and exciplexes. In this work we describe two systems that form emissive states in ECL with different properties than those when formed with photoluminescence. The first system involves the reaction of the anthracene radical anion with the radical cation of 4,N,N-trimethylaniline. ECL from this system exhibited an exciplex whose energy and intensity relative to the emission from the anthracene singlet could be tuned by adjusting the solvent permittivity and ionic strength. Under conditions considered extreme for electrochemical experiments, no added electrolyte in dimethoxyethane, the relative intensity of the anthracene-related exciplex, formed from the encounter complex, was 8 times greater and red-shifted from that generated by photoluminescence in the same solution with 100-fold exciplex partner added. In the second system examined, the benzophenone radical anion reacted with the radical cation of either phenoxathiin or 4-methoxythioanisole; the ECL emission was from the benzophenone triplet state and an excimer. The excimer, a species not seen with photoluminescence, predominated as the benzophenone concentration was elevated into the low millimolar range. The results from these two simple systems clearly demonstrate that the radical ion annihilation pathway of ECL can generate different emissive states than those formed following photoexcitation.     

Electrogenerated chemiluminescence. 81. Influence of donor and acceptor substituents on the ECL of a spirobifluorene-bridged bipolar system

The electrochemistry and radical ion annihilation electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of 9,9'-spirobifluorene-bridged bipolar systems containing 1,3,4-oxadiazole-conjugated oligoaryl and triarylamine substituents were investigated. The stability of the oxidized spirobifluorenes was improved by functionalization with triarylamine centers. These donor-acceptor (DA) compounds exhibited a good fluorescence efficiency with an emission maximum that correlated with the potential difference between radical anion and cation formation, suggesting a charge transfer (CT) emission band. An ECL mechanism based on the formation of the CT excited state by radical ion annihilation or production of the triplet state followed by triplet-triplet annihilation, with perhaps some excimer contribution, is proposed.     

Synthesis, cyclic voltammetric studies, and electrogenerated chemiluminescence of a new phenylquinoline-biphenothiazine donor-acceptor molecule

We report the synthesis, electrochemistry, and luminescence of a novel ECL emitting compound containing two electron-accepting hexyl-phenylquinoline groups covalently attached to the 3,3'-positions of the electron-donating 10,10'-dimethylbiphenothiazine group. The optimized geometry as determined from semiempirical MNDO calculations shows that the two quinoline groups are twisted 82.5 degrees from the two phenothiazine rings, indicating a lack of electron delocalization among these groups. This unique geometry allows generation of localized radical cations and radical anions capable of generating ECL upon annihilation. However, the phenothiazine rings are twisted 46.5 degrees relative to each other, suggesting possible interactions between the two moieties. This is evident in the electrochemical behavior in which two closely spaced one-electron oxidations, rather than a single two-electron oxidation wave, were observed. The photophysical properties of BHQ-BPZ show strong resemblances to the parent compound, BPQ-PTZ, which contains a single phenothiazine moiety. In addition, the ECL spectrum produced via radical ion annihilation shows good agreement with the fluorescence emission of the compound.     

Electrochemistry, electrogenerated chemiluminescence, and excimer formation dynamics of intramolecular π-stacked 9-naphthylanthracene derivatives and organic nanoparticles

We report the electrochemical characterization and the observation of excimer emission from a series of 9-naphthylanthracene-based dimer- and trimer-bridged high steric hindrance aromatic groups during photoluminescence (PL) measurements in the solid state and in solution electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) measurements. Cyclic voltammetry of 4,4'-bis(9-(1-naphthyl)anthracen-10-yl)biphenyl (4A) and 1,3,5-tris(9-(1-naphthyl)anthracen-10-yl)benzene (4C) showed two or three reversible, closely spaced one-electron transfers on oxidation in dichloromethane. The ECL emission spectra of 4A and 4C resulting from the annihilation reaction in benzonitrile showed two bands: one at the same wavelength as the PL peak in the solution state, and a broad band at longer wavelength. With a coreactant, such as peroxydisulfate, ECL spectra showed a single peak that was less broad in shape. PL measurement in the solid state and measurement of representative time traces of PL intensity, lifetimes, and picosecond time-correlated single-photon counting confirmed excimer emission at long wavelength. A reprecipitation method was used to prepare well-dispersed organic nanoparticles (NPs) of 4A in both aqueous and acetonitrile solutions. The smallest stable size of NPs produced was ~15 ± 6 nm, as analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. These organic NPs produced stable and weak ECL emission from the annihilation reaction in both aqueous and MeCN solutions. With a coreactant, such as peroxydisulfate, the ECL signal on reduction was sufficiently strong to obtain an ECL spectrum.     

Scanning electrochemical microscopy study of ion annihilation electrogenerated chemiluminescence of rubrene and [Ru(bpy)3]2+

Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) was used for the study of electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) in the radical annihilation mode. The concurrent steady-state generation of radical ions in the microgap formed between a SECM probe and a transparent microsubstrate provides a distance-dependent ECL signal that can provide information about the kinetics, stability, and mechanism of the light emission process. In the present study, the ECL emission from rubrene and [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) was used to model the system by carrying out experiments with the SECM and light-detecting apparatus inside an inert atmosphere box. We studied the influence of the distance between the two electrodes, d, and the annihilation kinetics on the ECL light emission profiles under steady-state conditions, as well as the ECL profiles when carrying out cyclic voltammetry (CV) at a fixed d. Experimental results are compared to simulated results obtained through commercial finite element method software. The light produced by annihilation of the ions was a function of d; stronger light was observed at smaller d. The distance dependence of the ECL emission allows the construction of light approach curves in a similar fashion as with the tip currents in the feedback mode of SECM. These ECL approach curves provide an additional channel to describe the reaction kinetics that lead to ECL; good agreement was found between the ECL approach curve emission profile and the simulated results for a fast, diffusion-limited second-order annihilation process (k(ann) > 10(7) M(-1) s(-1)). In the CV mode at fixed distance, the ECL emission of rubrene showed two distinct signals at different potentials when fixing the substrate to generate the radical cation and scanning the tip to generate the radical anion. The first signal (pre-emission) corresponded to an emission well before reaching the generation of the radical anion and was more intense on Au than on Pt. The second ECL signal showed the expected steady-state behavior from the second-order annihilation reaction and agreed well with the simulation. A comparison of the emission obtained with rubrene and [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) to test the direct formation of lower energy triplets directly at the electrode showed that triplets are not the cause of the pre-emission observed. Wavelength selection experiments for the rubrene system showed that the pre-emission ECL signal also appeared slightly red-shifted with respect to the main luminophore emission; a possible explanation for this phenomenon is inverse photoemission, where the injection of highly energetic holes by the oxidized species into the negatively biased tip electrode causes emission of states in the metal that appear at a different wavelength than the singlet emission from the ECL luminophore.     

Electrochemistry and electrogenerated chemiluminescence of 3,6-di(spirobifluorene)-N-phenylcarbazole

We report here the electrochemistry, luminescence, and electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of 3,6-dispirobifluorene-N-phenylcarbazole (DSBFNPC). DSBFNPC contains two spirobifluorene groups covalently attached to the N-phenylcarbazole core. The optimized geometry as determined from semiempirical MNDO calculations shows that the phenyl group is twisted 89 degrees from the plane of central carbazole, indicating a lack of electron delocalization between these groups. However, the two fluorene rings of each spirobifluorene group are twisted 58 degrees relative to each other and two spirobifluorene groups are twisted 64 degrees from the N-phenylcarbazole ring, suggesting some charge delocalization among these groups. The cyclic voltammetry of this compound shows two reversible oxidation waves (assigned to the formation of the cation and dication) and a two-electron reduction wave that becomes reversible at higher scan rates (assigned to formation of anion). Digital simulations were carried out to obtain details of the electrochemical processes, and electrochemical behavior was compared to that of phenylcarbazole (PC). Upon cycling between the oxidation and reduction waves, ECL is produced by radical ion annihilation. The photophysical properties of DSBFNPC show a strong resemblance to the parent compound, PC, and the ECL spectrum produced via radical ion annihilation shows good agreement with the fluorescence emission spectrum of DSBFNPC.     

Electrogenerated chemiluminescence of 9,10-diphenylanthracene, rubrene, and anthracene in fluorinated aromatic solvents

The electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA), rubrene, and anthracene has been studied in fluorinated aromatic solvents. Mixed annihilation ECL between aromatic luminophores and quinones was observed in solvent systems containing acetonitrile and either benzene, benzotrifluoride, 3-fluorobenzotrifluoride, or 1,3-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzene. Increases in ECL efficiency (phi ecl, photons generated per redox event) correlated with decreasing solvent polarity when 1,4-benzoquinone was used as a nonemitting ECL partner. However, opposite results were observed using 1,4-naphthaoquinone (NQ) as a nonemitting partner. phi ecl also correlated with radical anion stability of NQ in these solvent systems, as indicated by reverse/forward current ratios ( I r/ I f), suggesting noncovalent interactions between the solvent and the nonemitting ECL partner. Specifically, the reaction of an aromatic luminophore with 1,4-naphthoquinone in acetonitrile/benzotrifluoride showed a 1.03-1.63-fold increases in ECL efficiency over that of acetonitrile/benzene. Slight blue shifts ( approximately 3 nm) in photoluminescence and ECL emissions were seen as solvent polarity increased. Reaction enthalpies of each system were estimated using half-wave potentials of oxidation and reduction and were found to correlate well with emission energy.     

Revealing Crystallization‐Induced Blue‐Shift Emission of a Di‐Boron Complex by Enhanced Photoluminescence and Electrochemiluminescence

Elucidating the effects of crystallization‐induced blue‐shift emission of a newly synthesized di‐boron complex (DBC) by enhanced photoluminescence (PL) and electrochemiluminescence (ECL) in the annihilation pathway was realized for the first time. The 57 nm blue‐shift and great enhancement in the crystalline lattice relative to the DBC solution were attributed to the restriction of intramolecular rotation (RIR) and confirmed by PL imaging, X‐ray diffraction, as well as DFT calculations. It was discovered that ECL at crystalline film/solution interfaces can be further enhanced by means of both co‐reactant route and RIR. The RIR contributions with co‐reactant increased ECL up to 5 times more. Very interestingly, the co‐reactant system was found to give off a red‐shifted light emission. Mechanistic studies reveal that a difference between location of the ECL in the co‐reactant route and that in the annihilation pathway leads to an alternative emission wavelength.     

Electrochemiluminescence from successive electro- and chemo-oxidation of rifampicin and its application to the determination of rifampicin in pharmaceutical preparations and human urine

A novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) type was proposed based on successive electro- and chemo-oxidation of oxidable analyte, which was different from both annihilation and coreactant ECL types in mechanism. Rifampicin was used as a model compound. No any chemiluminescence (CL) was produced by either electrochemical oxidation or chemical oxidation of rifampicin in KH(2)PO(4)--Na(2)B(4)O(7) (pH 6.6) buffer-dodecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (DTAC) solution. However, an ECL was observed by electrochemical oxidization of rifampicin in the same solution in the presence of oxidant such as dissolved oxygen, activated oxygen and potassium peroxydisulfate (K(2)S(2)O(8)). The ECL was attributed to electrochemical oxidation of rifampicin to form semiquinone free radical, and then subsequently chemical oxidation of the formed radical by oxidant to form excited state rifampicin quinone. The proposed ECL type introduced additional advantages such as high selectivity, simple and convenient operation, and effective avoidance of side reaction that often took place in homogenous CL reaction, and will open a novel application field. In addition, with the ECL in the presence of K(2)S(2)O(8) as oxidant, a flow injection ECL method for the determination of rifampicin was proposed. The ECL intensity was linear with rifampicin concentration in the range of 1.0 x 10(-7) to 4.0 x 10(-5) mol l(-1) and the limit of detection (s/n=3) was 3.9 x 10(-8) mol l(-1). The proposed method was applied to the determination of rifampicin in pharmaceutical preparations and human urine.     

Characterization of the low-oxidation-potential electrogenerated chemiluminescence of tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) with tri-n-propylamine as coreactant

The electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of the Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ (bpy, 2,2′-bipyridine)/tri-n-propylamine (TPrA) system can be produced at an oxidation-potential well before the oxidation of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺. Here, we describe the unique features of the low-oxidation-potential (LOP) ECL. The LOP ECL exhibited strong dependence on solution pH with the maximum emission at pH  7.7. Compared with the conventional ECL, the LOP ECL was much more significantly diminished at high pH (>10), probably due to the short lifetime of TPrA cation radical which is a crucial intermediate for the LOP emission. It was also found that the preceding deprotonation step played an important role in TPrA oxidation at neutral pH and would remarkably influence the emission intensity. As excess intermediate radicals were produced upon rapid TPrA oxidation, only 5 mM TPrA was needed to achieve the maximum LOP ECL intensity in detecting trace Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ (<1 μM) and the LOP ECL response to Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ concentration was linear. Compared with the conventional Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/TPrA ECL, the LOP ECL technique not only produces higher emission intensity at lower oxidation-potential, but also significantly reduces the amount of the coreactant.     

Green and blue electrochemically generated chemiluminescence from click chemistry--customizable iridium complexes

Cationic cyclometalated iridium complexes containing two anionic phenylpyridine (ppy) ligands and the neutral bidentate triazole-pyridine ligand, 2-(1-substituted-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)pyridine (pytl), were investigated. The complexes display a rich and reversible electrochemical behavior, upon investigations by cyclic voltammetry in strictly aprotic conditions, that couples with excellent emission quantum yields and long lifetimes of the excited states. Therefore, in organic media, all complexes have generated intense green electrochemiluminescence (ECL) through the so-called annihilation procedure and, importantly, a modulation of the emission energy (to blue) has been easily obtained by simple fluorination of the ppy ligand. Finally, taking advantage of their remarkable solubility in water, intense ECL was also obtained from aqueous buffer solutions using the co-reactant method, thus making all the investigated complexes highly promising for their effective use as ECL labels in bioanalytical applications.     

Synthesis, cyclic voltammetric studies, and electrogenerated chemiluminescence of a new donor-acceptor molecule: 3,7-[Bis[4-phenyl-2-quinolyl]]-10-methylphenothiazine

We report here the synthesis of a novel compound that contains two electron-accepting phenylquinoline groups covalently attached to the 3,7-positions of a light-emitting electron donor, 10-methylphenothiazine. The optimized geometry as determined from semiempirical MNDO calculations shows that the phenylquinoline moieties are twisted approximately 77.5 degrees from the phenothiazine central ring. As a result, no molecular orbital overlap between these two groups exists, inhibiting any delocalization of the charge upon electrochemical oxidation or reduction. Comparison between cyclic voltammograms obtained of this compound as well as of the individual compounds, 10-methylphenothiazine and 2-phenylquinonine, did indeed show no change in the electrochemical behavior of these two groups upon the covalent attachment, confirming the results obtained from the semiempirical calculations. A shift to lower energy wavelengths of phenothiazine was observed upon the addition of the electron-deficient phenylquinoline moieties. Overall, this unique geometry allows us to electrochemically produce the stable radical ions needed to generate the light-emitting excited state of phenothiazine within a potential window not obtainable with just 10-methylphenothiazine. ECL spectrum produced by annihilation between the radical cation of phenothiazine and the radical anion of phenylquinoline shows good agreement with the fluorescence emission of 10-methylphenothiazine.     

Simultaneous control of spectroscopic and electrochemical properties in functionalised electrochemiluminescent tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) complexes

Using a combination of electrochemical, spectroscopic and computational techniques, we have explored the fundamental properties of a series of ruthenium diimine complexes designed for coupling with other molecules or surfaces for electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensing applications. With appropriate choice of ligand functionality, it is possible to manipulate emission wavelengths while keeping the redox ability of the complex relatively constant. DFT calculations show that in the case of electron withdrawing substituents such as ester or amide, the excited state is located on the substituted bipyridine ligand whereas in the case of alkyl functionality it is localised on a bipyridine. The factors that dictate annihilation ECL efficiency are interrelated. For example, the same factors that determine ΔG for the annihilation reaction (i.e. the relative energies of the HOMO and LUMO) have a corresponding effect on the energy of the excited state product. As a result, most of the complexes populate the excited state with an efficiency (Φ(ex)) of close to 80% despite the relatively wide range of emission maxima. The quantum yield of emission (Φ(p)) and the possibility of competing side reactions are found to be the main determinants of ECL intensity.     

流动注射电化学发光测定潘生丁

设计了一种应用于流通体系的电解池,以恒电流电解的方法,在线定量电生化学发光反应试剂次溴酸根。其可在碱性介质理米诺而产生强的化学发光。发现潘生丁对该电化学发光有很强的抑制作用。并建立了潘生丁的电化学发光方法。对影响潘生丁测定的实验条件进行了考察和优化。该方法测定潘生丁的一性范围为０．０１－２ｍｇ／Ｌ,检出限为０．００４ｍｇ／Ｌ,相对标准偏差为４．１％。雇学成功地用于片剂潘生丁样品的分析。     

Synthesis, structure, electrochemistry, and electrochemiluminescence of thienyltriazoles

Four blue-emitting thienyltriazoles with desired N and O coordination atoms were prepared in high yield via click chemistry for potential incorporation into metal complexes. Three of their crystal structures were determined by X-ray crystallography. The electrochemical properties, electronic structures of these thienyltriazoles, 1-4, and their correlations were studied using cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry techniques along with density function theory (DFT) calculations. All of the compounds underwent irreversible redox reactions, leading to unstable electrogenerated radical cations and anions. Electrochemical gaps determined from the differences between first formal reduction and oxidation reactions were correlated to HOMO-LUMO energy gaps obtained from UV-vis spectroscopy and the DFT calculations as well as energies of excited states measured from photoluminescence spectroscopy. We observed weak electrochemiluminescence (ECL) from annihilation of these thienyltriazole radicals in acetonitrile containing 0.1 M tetra-n-butylammonium perchlorate as electrolyte. An enhancement in ECL efficiency ranging from 0.16 to 0.50% was observed upon addition of benzoyl peroxide as a coreactant in the above electrolyte solutions. The generation of excimers in solutions of 1-4 was observed as seen by the red-shift in ECL maxima relative to their corresponding photoluminescence peak wavelengths. Our work is of importance for the development of efficient blue-emitting fluorophores via click chemistry that could be potential luminophores in metal complexes.     

Efficient upconversion fluorescence in a blue-emitting spirobifluorene-anthracene copolymer doped with low concentrations of Pt(II)octaethylporphyrin

Upconversion-induced fluorescence in platinum-octaethylporphyrin (PtOEP)-doped thin films of a spirobifluorene-anthracene copolymer has been investigated. Upon exciting in the range of the absorption band (2.31 eV, 537 nm) of the guest molecules, blue fluorescence (2.75 eV, 450 nm) from the spirobifluorene host was observed. The intensity of the upconverted emission was found to be one order of magnitude higher than from a PtOEP doped but anthracene-free spirobifluorene copolymer and than previously reported for metallated porphyrin-doped polyfluorene samples. It is argued that the efficient upconversion originates from the triplet energy transfer from the phosphorescent dopant to the sensitive unit of the host polymer, followed by triplet-triplet annihilation and finally blue emission from the spirobifluorene host polymer backbone.     

Annihilation electrogenerated chemiluminescence of mixed metal chelates in solution: modulating emission colour by manipulating the energetics

We demonstrate the mixed annihilation electrogenerated chemiluminescence of tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(ii) with various cyclometalated iridium(iii) chelates. Compared to mixed ECL systems comprising organic luminophores, the absence of T-route pathways enables effective predictions of the observed ECL based on simple estimations of the exergonicity of the reactions leading to excited state production. Moreover, the multiple, closely spaced reductions and oxidations of the metal chelates provide the ability to finely tune the energetics and therefore the observed emission colour. Distinct emissions from multiple luminophores in the same solution are observed in numerous systems. The relative intensity of these emissions and the overall emission colour are dependent on the particular oxidized and reduced species selected by the applied electrochemical potentials. Finally, these studies offer insights into the importance of electronic factors in the question of whether the reduced or oxidized partner becomes excited in annihilation ECL.     

Electrogenerated chemiluminescence of triazole-modified deoxycytidine analogues in N,N-dimethylformamide

Triazole-modified deoxycytidines have been prepared for incorporation into single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (ssDNA). Electrochemical responses and electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of these deoxycytidine (dC) analogues, 1-4, were investigated as the monomers. Cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry techniques were used to determine the oxidation and reduction potentials of 1-4, along with the reversibility of their electrochemical reactions. The dC analogues, in N,N-dimethylformamide containing 0.1 M tetra-n-butylammonium perchlorate as electrolyte, exhibited weak relative ECL efficiencies following the annihilation mechanism, while these efficiencies were enhanced with the use of benzoyl peroxide following the coreactant mechanism. It was shown that these nucleosides could generate excited monomers, and excimers as seen by the red-shifted ECL maxima relative to their corresponding photoluminescence peak wavelengths.     

Electrogenerated chemiluminescence. Effect of a magnetic field on the delayed fluorescence and ECL of several systems involving excimers or exciplexes

The use of magnetic field effects in delayed fluorescence (DF) and electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) studies to obtain information about the involvement of triplet state species in reactions leading to the production of monomeric and dimeric (excimer or exciplex) excited states is described. In the room temperature DF of pyrene and 1,2-benzanthracene, identical field effects are observed for monomer and excimer emission, in agreement with a mechanism involving a common intermediate produced on triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA), and different than previous DF results for 1,2-benzanthracene solutions at low temperatures. The ECL of the pyrene/N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD) system also shows monomer and excimer emissions identically affected by magnetic field and in agreement with an ECL mechanism involving TTA. In the ECL of the S-methylanthracene (MA)/tri-p-tolylamine (TPTA) system, a field effect is observed for both the ¹MA^* and longer wavelength emission. In this case, however, a smaller effect is observed for the longer wavelength emission. A mechanism based on TTA to form ¹MA^* and some direct formation of exciplex on electron transfer is proposed.