DOI

In this work nine novel heteroleptic Ir(III) complexes of general formulae [Ir((Formula presented.) #)2((Formula presented.) #)] containing four different cyclometallating and four β-diketonate ligands were synthesized and fully characterized. Six of them display phosphorescence in the deep red and NIR regions with quantum yields reaching 24.6 % in degassed solution for one of the NIR emitters. Variation in the nature of orthometalating ligands results in dramatic changes in photophysical behavior: the compounds containing 2-phenylpyridine ((Formula presented.) 1) and 2-(benzo[b]thiophen-2-yl)pyridine ((Formula presented.) 2) ligands give non-emissive complexes, whereas those with methyl 2-phenylquinoline-4-carboxylate ((Formula presented.) 3) and 6-(benzo[b]thiophen-2-yl)phenanthridine) ((Formula presented.) 4) are luminescent, but display different character of electronic transitions responsible for absorption and emission. Complexes with the (Formula presented.) 3 ligand luminesce from 3LC excited state and do not change their emission characteristics upon variations in the nature of β-diketonates. On the contrary, the compounds based on the (Formula presented.) 4 cyclometalating ligand emit from the excited state with considerable contribution of 3MLCT character and show systematic bathochromic shift of absorption and emission bands upon increase in electron donicity of (Formula presented.) # ligands. This conclusion was supported by DFT and TD-DFT calculations and by the analysis of correlations between the 13C chemical shift of the diketonate C(H) carbon and emission maxima of the compounds under study.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2163-2170
Number of pages8
JournalEuropean Journal of Inorganic Chemistry
Volume2021
Issue number22
Early online date19 May 2021
DOIs
StatePublished - 14 Jun 2021

    Scopus subject areas

  • Inorganic Chemistry

    Research areas

  • Cyclometalated ligands, Diketonate ligands, Iridium, Ligand impact, Phosphorescence, IR(III) COMPLEXES, PROPERTY, EXCITED-STATES, MOLECULAR DESIGN, VISIBLE-LIGHT, PHOSPHORESCENT, LUMINESCENCE, LIGHT-EMITTING DEVICES

ID: 77999305