A new class of luminescent dendritic carbazole-containing alkynylplatinum(II) complexes has been synthesized, characterized, and applied as phosphorescent dopants in the fabrication of solution-processable organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). These complexes exhibit high photoluminescence quantum yields of up to 80% in spin-coated thin films. In addition, the incorporation of carbazole dendrons into the platinum(II) center can significantly suppress intermolecular interactions in solid-state thin films, giving rise to emission spectra that are similar to those found in solution irrespective of dopant concentrations. High-performance solution-processable OLEDs have also been fabricated, with a maximum external quantum efficiency of up to 10.4%, which is comparable to that of the vacuum-deposited devices based on the small-molecule counterpart. This is one of the highest ever reported values for solution-processable devices based on platinum(II) complexes with tridentate ligands.

A new class of highly luminescent bipolar alkynylplatinum(II) complexes has been synthesized, characterized, and applied as phosphorescent dopants in the fabrication of solution-processable organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). Through the incorporation of a delicate balance of electron-donating carbazole moieties and electron-accepting phenylbenzimidazole or oxadiazole moieties into the platinum(II) core, the platinum(II) complexes have been demonstrated to exhibit bipolar charge transport character with high photoluminescence quantum yields of up to 0.75 in thin films. The introduction of meta-linkages into the complexes further helps weaken the donor-acceptor interactions, facilitating better carrier-transporting abilities. More importantly, high-performance solution-processable green-emitting OLEDs with maximum current efficiencies of up to 57.4 cd A and external quantum efficiencies of up to 16.0% have been realized. This is among the best performances for solution-processable phosphorescent OLEDs reported based on platinum(II) complexes as well as bipolar metal complexes.

A simple one-pot two bond-forming reaction for the rapid construction of cyclometalated gold(III) complexes with fully π-conjugated tetradentate ligand is reported. The coupling of the bifunctional gold(III) precursor with the bifunctional aromatic compound has led to the formation of two regioisomers with either C-or Ncoordination. Through monitoring by high-throughput high performance liquid chromatography, the regioselectivity of the reaction has been effectively tuned toward the formation of a single isomer, allowing easy separation of the metal complexes. The structures of the complexes have been determined by X-ray crystallography, and the photophysical, electrochemical, and electroluminescence (EL) studies have been carried out. Computational study has been performed to provide insights into the nature of the excited states. Isomeric effect has been shown to have a significant influence on the EL behavior of the organic light-emitting devices.

Discrete pentanuclear Pt stacks were prepared by the host-guest adduct formation between multinuclear tweezer-type Pt complexes. The formation of the Pt stacks in solution was accompanied by color changes and the turning on of near-infrared emission resulting from Pt⋅⋅⋅Pt and π-π interactions. The X-ray crystal structure revealed the formation of a discrete 1:1 adduct, in which a linear stack of five Pt centers with extended Pt⋅⋅⋅Pt interactions was observed. Additional binding affinity and stability have been achieved through a multinuclear host-guest system. The binding behaviors can be fine-tuned by varying the spacer between the two Pt moieties in the guests. This work provides important insights for the construction of discrete higher-order supramolecular metal-ligand aggregates using a tweezer-directed approach.