Porphyrin, phthalocyanine and porphyrazine derivatives with multifluorenyl substituents as efficient deep-red emitters

The synthesis and photophysical properties are described for a series of porphyrin, phthalocyanine and pyrazinoporphyrazine derivatives which bear four or eight peripheral fluorenyl substituents as antennae. Representative examples are 5,10,15,20-tetra(9,9-dihexyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl)porphyrin (2), 5,10,15,20-tetrakis4-(9,9-dihexyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl)phenyl]porphyrin (3), 2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octakis(9,9-dihexyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl)-29H,31H-phthalocyanine (8) and 2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octakis4-(9,9-dihexyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl)phenyl]-29H,31H-tetrapyrazinoporphyrazine (9). Palladium-mediated Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions have been key steps for attaching the substituents. The compounds are deep-red emitters: lambda(max)(em)=659 (3), 737 (8) and 684 nm (9). Their absorption and emission spectra, their fluorescence lifetimes and quantum yields are correlated with the structures of the macrocycles and the substituents. The solution fluorescence quantum yields of porphyrin derivatives substituted with fluorene (2-4) and terphenyl substituents (7) (Phi(f)=0.21-0.23) are approximately twice that of tetraphenylporphyrin. For phthalocyanine derivative 8, Phi(f) was very high (0.88). Specific excitation of the fluorene units of 8 produced emission from both of them (lambda(max)=480 nm) and also from the phthalocyanine core (lambda(max)=750 nm), indicating a competitive rate of energy transfer and radiative decay of the fluorenes. Organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) were made by spin-coating techniques by using a polyspirobifluorene (PSBF) copolymer as the host blended with 3 (5 wt. %) in the configuration ITO/PEDOT:PSS/PSBF copolymer:3/Ca/Al. Deep-red emission (lambda(max)=663 nm; CIE coordinates x=0.70, y=0.27) was observed with an external quantum efficiency of 2.5 % (photons/electron) (at 7.5 mA cm(-2)), a low turn-on voltage and high emission intensity (luminance) of 5500 cd m(-2) (at 250 mA/ m(2)).