Issue 8, 2016

Luminescent metal complexes featuring photophysically innocent boron cluster ligands

Abstract

We report the synthesis and characterization of a series of d8 metal complexes featuring robust and photophysically innocent strong-field chelating 1,1′-bis(o-carborane) (bc) ligand frameworks. A combination of UV-Vis spectroscopy, single crystal X-ray structural analysis, and DFT calculations of these species suggest that the dianionic bc ligand does not contribute to any visible metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) transitions, yet it provides a strong ligand field in these complexes. Furthermore, a bc-based Pt(II) complex containing a 4,4′-di-tert-butyl-2,2′-bipyridine ligand (dtb-bpy) has been prepared and was found to display blue phosphorescent emission dominated by MLCT from the Pt(II) center to the dtb-bpy ligand. Importantly, the bulky three-dimensional nature of the bc ligand precludes intermolecular Pt(II)⋯Pt(II) interactions in the solid state where the resulting compounds retain their emission properties. This study opens a potentially new avenue for designing organic light-emitting diode (OLED) materials with tunable properties featuring photophysically innocent boron-rich cluster ligands.

Graphical abstract: Luminescent metal complexes featuring photophysically innocent boron cluster ligands

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
24 Feb 2016
Accepted
18 Apr 2016
First published
27 Apr 2016
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2016,7, 5132-5138

Luminescent metal complexes featuring photophysically innocent boron cluster ligands

K. O. Kirlikovali, J. C. Axtell, A. Gonzalez, A. C. Phung, S. I. Khan and A. M. Spokoyny, Chem. Sci., 2016, 7, 5132 DOI: 10.1039/C6SC01146B

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements