Photophysical properties of charged cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes: a joint theoretical and experimental study

The photophysical properties of a series of charged biscyclometalated [Ir(ppy)(2)(N^N)](1+) complexes, where ppyH is 2-phenylpyridine and N^N is 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy), 6-phenyl-2,2'-bipyridine (pbpy), and 6,6'-diphenyl-2,2'-bipyridine (dpbpy) for complexes 1, 2, and 3, respectively, have been investigated in detail. The photoluminescence performance in solution decreases from 1 to 3 upon attachment of phenyl groups to the ancillary ligand. The absorption spectra recorded over time suggest that complex 3 is less stable compared to complexes 1 and 2 likely due to a nucleophilic-assisted ancillary ligand-exchange reaction. To clarify this behavior, the temperature dependence of the experimental intrinsic deactivation rate constant, k(in) = 1/τ, has been investigated from 77 K to room temperature. Temperature-dependent studies show that nonemitting metal-centered (MC) states are accessible at room temperature for complex 3. The experimental results are interpreted with the help of theoretical calculations performed within the density functional theory (DFT) approach. Calculations suggest that attachment of a phenyl group to the ancillary ligand (2) promotes the temperature-independent deactivation pathways, whereas attachment of a second phenyl group (3) also makes the temperature-dependent ones accessible through population of nonradiative (3)MC excited states.     

Cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes containing 2-phenyl-2H-indazole ligand: Synthesis,photophysical studies,and DFT calculations

Heteroleptic cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes ( Ir1 – Ir5 ) featuring piz-based ligands and acetylacetone ancillary ligand are synthesized and characterized. Their photophysical and electrochemical properties were studied, and DFT calculations were used to further support the experiment results. All the complexes emit yellow color with quantum yields of 12.2–56.5% in dichloromethane solution at room temperature, and the emission originates from a hybrid ³MLCT/³ILCT/³LLCT excited state.     

Effects of electron-rich ancillary ligands on green and yellow-emitting bis-cyclometalated iridium complexes

Abstract

Six new green to yellow-emitting heteroleptic bis-cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes of the type Ir(C?N)₂(L?X) (C?N?=?cyclometalating ligand, L?X?=?monoanionic chelating ancillary ligand) bearing two widely used cyclometalating ligands (C?N?=?2-(2-thienyl)pyridine (thpy) and 2-phenylbenzoxazole (bo)) and six different ancillary ligands were prepared. In this study, the complexes include structurally diverse ancillary ligands that allow us to investigate several aspects of structure-property relationships. Ancillary ligands used in this study are small-bite-angle N-phenylacetamidate (paa), N-isopropylbenzamidate (ipba) and N,N′-diisopropylbenzamidinate (dipba), and larger bite-angle β-ketoiminate (acNac), β-diketiminate (NacNac), and β-thioketoiminate (SacNac). The emission color is governed by the choice of the cyclometalating ligand, but the ancillary ligands influence the electrochemical and photophysical properties. Electrochemical analysis shows that the energy of the HOMO varies substantially as the L?X structure is altered, whereas the energy of LUMO remains nearly constant. The emission maxima range from 537?nm to 590?nm, with solution quantum yields between 0.0094 and 0.60 and microsecond lifetimes. The results here reveal the ancillary ligands provide a channel to control redox properties and excited-state dynamics in cyclometalated iridium complexes that luminesce in the middle regions of the visible spectrum.     

Thermally Robust and Tuneable Phosphorescent Gold(III) Complexes Bearing (N^N)-Type Bidentate Ligands as Ancillary Chelates

Phosphorescent mono-cyclometalated gold(III) complexes and their possible applications in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) can be significantly enhanced with their improved thermal stability by suppressing the reductive elimination of the respective ancillary ligands. A rational tuning of the π-conjugation of the cyclometalating ligand in conjunction with the non-conjugated 5,5′-(1-methylethylidene)bis(3-trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrazole were used as a strategy to achieve room-temperature phosphorescence emission in a new series of gold(III) complexes. Photophysical studies of the newly synthesised and characterised complexes revealed phosphorescent emission of the complexes at room temperature in solution, thin films when doped in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as well as in 2-Me-THF at 77 K. The complexes exhibit highly tuneable emission behaviour with photoluminescent quantum efficiencies up to 22 % and excited state lifetimes in the range of 63–300 μs. Detailed photophysical investigations in combination with DFT and TD-DFT calculations support the conclusion that the emission properties are strongly dictated by both the cyclometalating ligand and the ancillary chelating ligand. Thermogravimetric studies further show that the thermal stability of the Au^III complexes has been drastically enhanced, making these complexes more attractive for OLED applications.     

Evolution of 2, 3′-bipyridine class of cyclometalating ligands as efficient phosphorescent iridium(III) emitters for applications in organic light emitting diodes

Nowadays, the design and development of novel phosphorescent iridium(III) complexes for various optoelectronic applications is a well-recognized area of research. The fascinating photophysical properties of iridium(III) compounds are strongly influenced by the spin-orbit coupling exerted by the iridium(III) core, usually resulting in intense emissions with short excited-state lifetimes, which can be precisely controlled with the aid of molecular engineering of the chelating ligand. This review focuses on the recent developments and state of the art knowledge on phosphorescent iridium(III) compounds, especially on heteroleptic complexes derived from 2,3′-bipyridine class of cyclometalating and ancillary ligands, highlighting the excited state phenomenon behind their emission behavior.     

Sublimable Cationic Iridium(III) Complexes with 1,10‐Phenanthroline Derivatives as Ancillary Ligands for Highly Efficient and Polychromic Electroluminescence

A novel series of four sublimable cationic iridium(III) complexes have been prepared with 1,10‐phenanthroline derivatives as ancillary ligands and the same negative counter‐ion, tetrakis[3,5‐bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate, which has a large steric hindrance and widely dispersed charges, thereby increasing the ionic radii, reducing the electrostatic interaction, and thus improving the volatility. Their structural, photophysical, electrochemical, and thermal properties have been fully characterized. Upon excitation, these compounds show polychromic emission varying from green to orange in solution, which are blue‐shifted in the solid state to different extents due to π–π conjugate effects in the ancillary ligands and the resulting molecular aggregation. OLEDs fabricated by vacuum evaporation deposition demonstrated desirable device performance with high efficiency and brightness, exhibiting various electroluminescent colors dependent upon doping concentration.     

Theoretical studies of ground and excited electronic states in a series of heteroleptic iridium complexes using density functional theory

A series of new heteroleptic iridium(III) complexes [Ir(C^?N)₂(N^?N)]PF₆ ( 1 ‐ 6 ) (each with two cyclometalating C^?N ligands and one neutral N^?N ancillary ligand, where C^?N = 2‐phenylpyridine (ppy), 5‐methyl‐2‐(4‐fluoro)phenylpyridine (F‐mppy), and N^?N = 2,2′‐dipyridyl (bpy), 1,10‐phenanthroline (phen), 4,4′‐diphenyl‐2,2′‐dipyridy (dphphen) were found to have rich photophysical properties. Theoretical calculations are employed for studying the photophysical and electrochemical properties. All complexes are investigated using density functional theory. Excited singlet and triplet states are examined using time‐dependent density functional theory. The low‐lying excited‐state geometries are optimized at the ab initio configuration interaction singles level. Then, the excited‐state properties are investigated in detail, including absorption and emission properties, photoactivation processes. The excited state of complexes is complicated and contains triplet metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer, triplet ligand‐to‐ligand charge transfer simultaneously. Importantly, the absorption spectra and emission maxima can be tuned significantly by changing the N^?N ligands and C^?N ligands. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2012     

Substitution‐Controlled Excited State Processes in Heteroleptic Copper(I) Photosensitizers Used in Hydrogen Evolving Systems

Four different heteroleptic [Cu(N^N)(P^P)]PF₆ complexes, which combine classical bidentate diimine ligands and sterically demanding diphosphine ligands, are studied by a combination of ultrafast time‐resolved spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations. The light‐induced excited state processes, accompanied by a structural change, are discussed with respect to the application of these complexes as a new class of noble‐metal‐free photosensitizers in proton reducing systems. In particular, the influence of different substituents in the ligand backbone on the photophysical properties is highlighted.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Platinum(IV) Complexes Containing 1-Phenyl-1H-pyrazole and α-Diimine Ligands

The paper deals with the synthesis of a series of cationic [Pt(ppz)₂(N^N)]²⁺ complexes containing deprotonated 1-phenyl-1H-pyrazole as cyclometallating (C^N) ligands and α-diimines (N^N) in the form of water-soluble salts with OTf⁻ (trifluoromethanesulfonate) counter ions. These complexes were obtained from cis-[Pt(ppz)₂Cl₂] through chloride ligands substitution with α-diimines. The complexes were identified by means of NMR spectroscopy and their molecular structures were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The photophysical properties of these complexes were studied in detail. These complexes showed strong luminescence in MeOH/EtOH 1 : 1 glasses at 77 K but were almost non-emitting in MeCN solutions at room temperature. Their emission properties were compared to analogues Ir^III complexes.     

Tunable Light-Emission Properties of Solution-Processable N-Heterocyclic Carbene Cyclometalated Gold(III) Complexes for Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC) cyclometalated gold(III) complexes remain very scarce and therefore their photophysical properties remain currently underexplored. Moreover, gold(III) complexes emitting in the blue region of the electromagnetic spectrum are rare. In this work, a series of four phosphorescent gold(III) complexes was investigated bearing four different NHC monocyclometalated (C^C*)-type ligands and a dianionic (N^N)-type ancillary ligand ((N^N)=5,5’-(propane-2,2-diyl)bis(3-(trifluoromethyl)-1 H-pyrazole) (mepzH₂)). The complexes exhibit strong phosphorescence when doped in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) at room temperature, which were systematically tuned from sky-blue [λ_PL=456 nm, CIE coordinates: (0.20, 034)] to green [λ_PL=516 nm, CIE coordinates: (0.31, 0.54)] by varying the monocyclometalated (C^C*) ligand framework. The complexes revealed high quantum efficiencies (ϕ_PL) of up to 43 % and excited-state lifetimes (τ₀) between 15–266 μs. The radiative rate constant values found for these complexes (k_r=10³–10⁴ s⁻¹) are the highest found in comparison to previously known best-performing monocyclometalated gold(III) complexes. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) calculations of these complexes further lend support to the excited-state nature of these complexes. The calculations showed a significant contribution of the gold(III) metal center in the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMOs) of up to 18 %, which was found to be unique for this class of cyclometalated gold(III) complexes. Additionally, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) were fabricated by using a solution process to provide the first insight into the electroluminescent (EL) properties of this new class of gold(III) complexes.     

Luminescent cyclometalated gold(III) complexes

Many luminescent gold(I) compounds are known, but in the vast majority of gold(III) complexes reported until recently, room temperature emission in fluid solution does not occur. As for other d(8) and d(6) metals, the key to obtaining gold(III) compounds with favorable luminescence properties seems to be the use of cyclometalating ligands that ensure very strong ligand fields. Recent progress in this emerging research field is discussed, and where appropriate, comparison to isoelectronic platinum(II) complexes and their photophysical properties is made.     

Thiophene based europium β-diketonate complexes: effect of the ligand structure on the emission quantum yield

The synthesis and the molecular and photophysical characterization, together with solid state and solution structure analysis, of a series of europium complexes based on β-diketonate ligands are reported. The Eu(III) complex emission, specifically its photoluminescence quantum yield (PL-QY), can be tuned by changing ligands which finely modifies the environment of the metal ion. Steady-state and time-resolved emission spectroscopy and overall PL-QY measurements are reported and related to geometrical features observed in crystal structures of some selected compounds. Moreover, paramagnetic NMR, based on the analogous complexes with other lanthanides, are use to demonstrate that there is a significant structural reorganization upon dissolution, which justifies the observed differences in the emission properties between solid and solution states. The energy of the triplet levels of the ligands and the occurrence of nonradiative deactivation processes clearly account for the luminescence efficiencies of the complexes in the series.     

Ancillary Ligand Effects on Red-Emitting Cyclometalated Iridium Complexes

In this work, a series of ten new red-emitting heteroleptic iridium(III) complexes of the type Ir(C^N)₂(L^X) (C^N=cyclometalating ligand, L^X=monoanionic chelating ancillary ligand) is introduced. The suite of new complexes includes two different cyclometalating ligands and five different ancillary ligands, with the primary goal of investigating the effect of the ancillary ligand structure on the excited-state dynamics. The structural variety of the ancillary ligands permitted investigations of the effects of donor atom identity, chelate ring size, and substituents on the electronic structure and excited state properties. Electrochemical analysis showed that the ancillary ligand has a substantial effect on the energy of the HOMO, whereas the LUMO is left unperturbed. Photoluminescence spectra showed that the ancillary ligand can sometimes strongly influence the emission wavelength, but in all cases is an important determinant of the excited-state dynamics.     

Heteroleptic platinum(II) complexes of 8-quinolinolates bearing electron withdrawing groups in 5-position

A series of novel luminescent platinum(II) complexes bearing orthometalated 2-phenylpyridine ligands (C N), namely 2-phenylpyridine (4) and 3-hexyloxy-2-phenylpyridine (5), and several 5-substituted quinolinolate ligands (5-X-Q), where X = NO2 (a), X = CHO (b), X = Cl (bearing another Cl in 7-position of the Q-ligand) (c) and X = H (d) have been synthesized, characterized and their photophysical properties were studied. All complexes were obtained as a single isomer with N atoms of the C N and Q ligands trans-coordinated to the platinum center as evidenced using single-crystal X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy. Absorbance, luminescence as well as lifetime measurements in solution and in the solid state have been performed to establish a qualitative relationship between structure and luminescence properties. The compounds under investigation absorb intensively via an intraligand charge transfer (ILCT) in the visible range (460-480 nm) and emit from fluid solution and in the solid state at room temperature at 600-630 nm. The complexes show quantum yields up to 25% and lifetimes in the range of 20-30 micros in deoxygenated organic solvents at room temperature. The emitting state can be best described as a triplet intraligand charge-transfer state localized mainly on the quinolinolate ligand. In these complexes the phenylpyridine ligand can be essentially regarded as an ancillary ligand. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out on both the ground (singlet) and excited (triplet) states of these complexes and revealed the influence of the substitution of the quinolinolate ligand on the HOMO/LUMO energies and the oscillator strengths. Substitution on 3-position of the phenylpyridine ligand does not impact on the transition energies, and is thus suited to introduce other functional moieties, such as a solubilizing hexyloxy group.     

Photophysics and nonlinear absorption of cyclometalated 4,6-diphenyl-2,2'-bipyridyl platinum(II) complexes with different acetylide ligands

The photophysical properties of a series of 4,6-diphenyl-2,2'-bipyridyl platinum(II) complexes bearing different σ-alkynyl ancillary ligands (1a-1k) were systematically investigated. All complexes exhibit strong (1)π,π* absorption bands in the UV region; and broad, structureless charge-transfer band(s) in the visible region, which systematically red-shift(s) when the electron-donating ability of the para substituent on the phenylacetylide ligand increases. All complexes are emissive in solution at room temperature. When excited at the charge-transfer absorption band, the complexes exhibit long-lived orange emission (λ(max): 555-601 nm), which is attributed to a triplet metal-to-ligand charge transfer/intraligand charge transfer emission ((3)MLCT/(3)ILCT). Most of these complexes exhibit broad triplet transient difference absorption in the visible to the near-IR region, with a lifetime comparable to those measured from the decay of the (3)MLCT/(3)ILCT emission. The reverse saturable absorption (RSA) of these complexes were demonstrated at 532 nm using nanosecond laser pulses. The degree of RSA follows this trend: 1k ≈ 1a > 1c > 1f ≈ 1i > 1h ≈ 1b > 1e > 1d > 1g, which is mainly determined by the ratio of the triplet excited-state absorption cross section to that of the ground-state and the triplet excited-state quantum yield.     

Phosphorescent Cu(I) complexes of 2-(2'-pyridylbenzimidazolyl)benzene: impact of phosphine ancillary ligands on electronic and photophysical properties of the Cu(I) complexes

Four mononuclear Cu(I) complexes of 2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazolylbenzene (pbb) with four different ancillary phosphine ligands PPh(3), bis[2-(diphenylphosphino)phenyl]ether (DPEphos), bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane (dppe), and bis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)diphenylborate (DPPMB) have been synthesized. The crystal structures of [Cu(pbb)(PPh(3))(2)][BF(4)] (1), [Cu(pbb)(dppe)][BF(4)] (2), [Cu(pbb)(DPEphos)][BF(4)] (3), and the neutral complex [Cu(pbb)(DPPMB)] (4) were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. The impact of the phosphine ligands on the structures of the copper(I) complexes was examined, revealing that the most significant impact of the phosphine ligands is on the P-Cu-P bond angle. The electronic and photophysical properties of the new complexes were examined by using UV-vis, fluorescence, and phosphorescence spectroscopies and electrochemical analysis. All four complexes display a weak MLCT absorption band that varies considerably with the phosphine ligand. At ambient temperature, no emission was observed for any of the complexes in solution. However, when doped into PMMA polymer (20 wt %), at ambient temperature, all four complexes emit light with a color ranging from green to red-orange, depending on the phosphine ligand. The emission of the new copper complexes has an exceptionally long decay lifetime (>200 micros). Ab initio MO calculations established that the lowest electronic transition in the copper(I) complexes is MLCT in nature. The electronic and photophysical properties of the new mononuclear Cu(I) complexes were compared with those of the corresponding polynuclear Cu(I) complexes based on the 2-(2'-dipyridyl)benzimidazolyl derivative ligands and the previously extensively studied phenanthroline-based Cu(I) complexes.     

Strongly Phosphorescent Neutral Rhenium(I) Isocyanoborato Complexes: Synthesis,Characterization, and Photophysical,Electrochemical, and Computational Studies

A new series of neutral isocyanoborato rhenium(I) diimine complexes [Re(CO)₃(N^N)(CNBR₃)], where N^N=bpy, 4,4′‐Me₂bpy, phen, 4,7‐Me₂phen, 2,9‐Me₂phen, 3,4,7,8‐Me₄phen; R=C₆F₅, C₆H₅, Cl, 4‐ClC₆H₄, 3,5‐(CF₃)₂C₆H₃, with various isocyanoborate and diimine ligands of diverse electronic and steric nature have been synthesized and characterized. The X‐ray crystal structures of six complexes have also been determined. These complexes displayed intense bluish green to yellow phosphorescence at room temperature in dichloromethane solution. The photophysical and electrochemical properties of these complexes had been investigated. To elucidate the electronic structures and transitions of these complexes, DFT and TD‐DFT calculations have been performed, which revealed that the lowest‐energy electronic transition associated with these complexes originates from a mixture of MLCT [dπ(Re)→π*(N^N)] and LLCT [π(CNBR₃)→π*(N^N)] transitions.     

环金属钌配合物的合成、结构多样性及氧化还原调控

环金属钌配合物具有良好的氧化还原和光物理性质,在诸多光电领域如染料敏化太阳能电池、电致变色、电子转移等方面具有重要应用。环金属钌配合物的合成方法主要包括“后期金属化”、“前期金属化”、“转金属化”三种方法。环金属配合物具有丰富的结构多样性。环金属配合物由环金属配体和辅基配体与金属螯合形成。环金属配体包括N^∧C、N^∧N^∧C、N^∧C^∧N和C^∧C^∧C-类型多齿配体。辅基配体主要包括吡啶、咪唑、三唑、嘧啶等杂环。碳-金属键的引入大大降低了钌配合物的氧化还原电位。通过改变环金属配体和辅基配体的结构,可以对金属的氧化还原电位进行有效调控。金属钌配合物的氧化还原电位对敏化电池的性能以及电子转移的过程具有重要的影响。     

Dipyridylketone as a versatile ligand precursor for new cationic heteroleptic cyclometalated iridium complexes

Three new bis-cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes, of general formula [Ir(2-phenylpyridine)(2)(L)](+), are reported. The compounds contain a dipyridine-type ligand (L) derived from di-2-pyridylketone (dipyridin-2-ylmethanol, 2,2'-(hydrazonomethylene)dipyridine and 3-hydroxy-3,3-di(pyridine-2-yl)propanenitrile) and were synthesized through two different reaction pathways. The alternative synthetic pathway herein proposed, namely the direct reactions on the complex [Ir(2-phenylpyridine)(2)(2,2'-dipyridylketone)](+), overcame the inconveniences encountered with the standard reaction between the dimeric precursor [Ir(2-phenylpyridine)(2)(μ-Cl)](2) and the ancillary ligands (L). The photophysical characterization of the iridium complexes reveals that modifications on the ancillary ligand introduce large changes in the photophysical behaviour of the complexes. High emission quantum yield is associated with the presence of a saturated carbon between the two pyridyl moieties: [Ir(2-phenylpyridine)(2)(2,2'-dipyridylketone)](+) and [Ir(2-phenylpyridine)(2)(2,2'-(hydrazonomethylene)dipyridine)](+) are extremely low emissive, while [Ir(2-phenylpyridine)(2)(dipyridin-2-ylmethanol)](+) and [Ir(2-phenylpyridine)(2)(3-hydroxy-3,3-di(pyridine-2-yl)propanenitrile)](+) are good photoemitters. DFT and TD-DFT calculations confirmed the mixed LC/MLCT character of the excited states involved in the absorption and emission processes and highlighted the role of the π-conjugation between the two subunits of the ancillary ligand in determining the nature of the LUMO.     

Synthesis and Luminescent Properties of Cationic Ir（Ⅲ） Complexes of 2-Phenylquinoline Derivatives

Two cationic iridium(III) complexes, [(pqcm)2Ir(pybz)](PF6) (Ir1) and [(pqcm)2Ir(apybz)](PF6) (Ir2) (pqcmH=2-phenyl-quinoline-4-carboxylic acid methyl ester, pybz=2-pyridyl-benzimidazole, apybz=1-allyl-2-pyridyl-benzimidazole), were readily synthesized from the reaction of IrIII-μ-chloro-bridged dimer [Ir(pqcm)2(Cl)]2 and corresponding ancillary ligands, and characterized by NMR and mass spectroscopies. The structure of Ir2 was also confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The photophysical properties of the two complexes were also investigated. Ir1 shows deep red emission peaked at around 652 nm with the phosphorescence quantum yield of ca. 0.29 and the emission lifetime of 233 ns, while Ir2 shows red emission peaked at around 615 nm with the phosphorescence quantum yield of ca. 0.13 and the emission lifetime of 430 ns. The active hydrogen on pybz ligand is believed to have a great influence on the photophysical properties of Ir1.