Bidentate NHC^pyrozolate ligands in luminescent platinum(ii) complexes

Abstract

A bidentate C^N donor set derived from an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) precursor linked to a trifluoromethyl (CF₃) functionalized pyrazole ring is described for the first time. The ligands have been employed to prepare four new phosphorescent complexes by the coordination of platinum(II) centres bearing cyclometalated phenyl-pyridine/triazole-pyridine chelates. The electronic and steric environments of these complexes were tuned through the incorporation of suitable substituents in the phenyl-pyridine/triazole-pyridine ligands, wherein the position of the phenyl-ring substituent (a CF₃ group) also directs the selective adoption of either a trans or a cis configuration between the C_NHC and the C_phenyl donor atoms. Molecular structures obtained by X-ray diffraction for three of the complexes confirm a distorted square-planar configuration around the platinum centre, and DFT calculations show that the substituents have a significant influence on the energies of the frontier orbitals. Moreover, a platinum(II) complex featuring the new bidentate NHC^pyrazolate ligand and a bulky adamantyl functionalized pyridine-triazole luminophore was observed to be highly emissive and exhibiting a sky-blue luminescence (λ_Em = 470 nm) with photoluminescence quantum yields as high as 50% in doped PMMA matrices. A complete photophysical investigation of all of the complexes in solution as well as in the solid state is herein reported.