No abstract

The complexes [Cu(I)(POP)(dmbpy)][BF4] (1) and [Cu(I)(POP)(tmbpy)][BF4] (2) (dmbpy = 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridyl; tmbpy = 4,4',6,6'-tetramethyl-2,2'-bipyridyl; POP = bis[2-(diphenylphosphino)-phenyl]ether) have been studied in a wide temperature range by steady-state and time-resolved emission spectroscopy in fluid solution, frozen solution, and as solid powders. Emission quantum yields of up to 74% were observed for 2 in a rigid matrix (powder), substantially higher than for 1 of around 9% under the same conditions. Importantly, it was found that the emission of 2 at ambient temperature represents a thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) which renders the compound to be a good candidate for singlet harvesting in OLEDs. The role of steric constraints within the complexes, in particular their influences on the emission quantum yields, were investigated by hybrid-DFT calculations for the excited triplet state of 1 and 2 while manipulating the torsion angle between the bipyridyl and POP ligands. Both complexes showed similar flexibility within a ±10° range of the torsion angle; however, 2 appeared limited to this range, whereas 1 could be further twisted with little energy demand. It is concluded that a restricted flexibility leads to a reduction of nonradiative deactivation and thus an increase of emission quantum yield.

The syntheses, crystal structures, and detailed investigations of the photophysical properties of phosphorescent platinum(II) Schiff base complexes are presented. All of these complexes exhibit intense absorption bands with lambda(max) in the range 417-546 nm, which are assigned to states of metal-to-ligand charge-transfer ((1)MLCT) (1)[Pt(5d)-->pi*(Schiff base)] character mixed with (1)[lone pair(phenoxide)-->pi*(imine)] charge-transfer character. The platinum(II) Schiff base complexes are thermally stable, with decomposition temperatures up to 495 degrees C, and show emission lambda(max) at 541-649 nm in acetonitrile, with emission quantum yields up to 0.27. Measurements of the emission decay times in the temperature range from 130 to 1.5 K give total zero-field splitting parameters of the emitting triplet state of 14-28 cm(-1). High-performance yellow to red organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) using these platinum(II) Schiff base complexes have been fabricated with the best efficiency up to 31 cd A(-1) and a device lifetime up to 77 000 h at 500 cd m(-2).

This study highlights the potential benefits of using terdentate over bidentate ligands in the construction of organometallic complexes as organic light-emitting diode (OLED) emitters offering better color purity, and explores in detail the molecular origins of the differences between the two. A pair of closely related platinum(II) complexes has been selected, incorporating a bidentate and a terdentate cyclometallating ligand, respectively, namely, Pt(4,6-dFppy)(acac) (1) {4,6-dFppy = 2-(4,6-difluorophenyl)pyridine metalated at C(2) of the phenyl ring} and Pt(4,6-dFdpyb)Cl (2) {4,6-dFdpyb = 4,6-difluoro-1,3-di(2-pyridyl)benzene, metalated at C(2) of the phenyl ring}. The emission properties over the range of temperatures from 1.2 to 300 K have been investigated, including optical high-resolution studies. The results reveal a detailed insight into the electronic and vibronic structures of the two compounds. In particular, the Huang-Rhys parameter S that serves to quantify the degree of molecular distortion in the excited state with respect to the ground state, though small in both cases, is smaller by a factor of 2 for the terdentate than the bidentate complex (S ≈ 0.1 and ≈0.2, respectively). The smaller value for the former reflects the greater degree of rigidity induced by the terdentate ligand, leading to a lesser contribution of intraligand Franck-Condon vibrational modes in the green spectral range of the emission spectra. Consequently, an enhanced color purity with respect to blue light emission results. The high rigidity and the short Pt-C bond in Pt(4,6-dFdpyb)Cl also serve to disfavor nonradiative decay pathways, including those involving higher-lying dd* states. These effects account for the greatly superior luminescence quantum yield of the terdentate complex in fluid solution, amounting to φ(PL) = 80% versus only 2% found for the bidentate complex.

A detailed examination was performed on photophysical properties of phosphorescent cyclometalated (C(^)N)Pt(O(^)O) complexes (ppy)Pt(dpm) (1), (ppy)Pt(acac) (1'), and (bzq)Pt(dpm) (2) and newly synthesized (dbq)Pt(dpm) (3) (C(^)N = 2-phenylpyridine (ppy), benzo[h]quinoline (bzq), dibenzo[f,h]quinoline (dbq); O(^)O = dipivolylmethanoate (dpm), acetylacetonate (acac)). Compounds 1, 1', 2, and 3 were further characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Structural changes brought about by cyclometalation were determined by comparison with X-ray data from model C(^)N ligand precursors. The compounds emit from metal-perturbed, ligand-centered triplet states (E(0-0) = 479 nm, 1; E(0-0) = 495 nm, 2; E(0-0) = 470 nm, 3) with disparate radiative rate constants (kr = 1.4 × 10(5) s(-1), 1; kr = 0.10 × 10(5) s(-1), 2; kr = 2.6 × 10(5) s(-1), 3). Zero-field splittings of the triplet states (ΔE(III-I) = 11.5 cm(-1), 1'; ΔE(III-I) < 2 cm(-1), 2; ΔE(III-I) = 46.5 cm(-1), 3) were determined using high resolution spectra recorded in Shpol'skii matrices. The fact that the E0-0 energies do not correspond to the extent of π-conjugation in the aromatic C(^)N ligand is rationalized on the basis of structural distortions that occur upon cyclometalation using data from single crystal X-ray analyses of the complexes and ligand precursors along with the triplet state properties evaluated using theoretical calculations. The wide variation in the radiative rate constants and zero-field splittings is also explained on the basis of how changes in the electronic spin density in the C(^)N ligands in the triplet state alter the spin-orbit coupling in the complexes.