Molecular emitters that combine circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) and high radiative rate constants of the triplet exciton decay are highly attractive for electroluminescent devices (OLEDs) or next-generation photonic applications, such as spintronics, quantum computing, cryptography, or sensors. However, the design of such emitters is a major challenge because the criteria for enhancing these two properties are mutually exclusive. In this contribution, we show that enantiomerically pure {Cu(CbzR)[( S/R )-BINAP]} [R = H (1), 3,6-tBu (2)] are efficient thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters with high radiative rate constants of k TADF up to 3.1 × 105 s–1 from 1/3LLCT states according to our temperature-dependent time-resolved luminescence studies. The efficiency of the TADF process and emission wavelengths are highly sensitive to environmental hydrogen bonding of the ligands, which can be disrupted by grinding of the crystalline materials. The origin of this pronounced mechano-stimulus photophysical behavior is a thermal equilibrium between the 1/3LLCT states and a 3LC state of the BINAP ligand, which depends on the relative energetic order of the excited states and is prone to inter-ligand C–H···π interactions. The copper(I) complexes are also efficient CPL emitters displaying exceptional dissymmetry values g lum of up to ±0.6 × 10–2 in THF solution and ±2.1 × 10–2 in the solid state. Importantly for application in electroluminescence devices, the C–H···π interactions can also be disrupted by employing sterically bulky matrices. Accordingly, we have investigated various matrix materials for successful implementation of the chiral copper(I) TADF emitters in proof-of-concept CP-OLEDs.
Molecular near-IR (NIR) triplet-state emitters are of importance for the development of new, organic-electronics-based telecommunication technologies as optical fibers operating in the corresponding spectral bands allow for data transfer over much longer distances due to the significantly lower attenuation. However, achieving such low-energy triplet excited states with good radiative rate constants is very challenging, and studies regarding the single-photon emission of organometallics in this energy range are scarce. We have prepared a series of trigonal CuI CAAC complexes bearing chelating ligands with O, N, S, and Se donor atoms and studied their photophysical properties in this context. The compounds show weak low-energy absorption in solution between 400 and 500 nm due to mixed Cu → CAAC 1MLCT/LLCT states, resulting in yellow-green to orange appearance, which we have also correlated to the 15N NMR resonances of the π-accepting carbene ligand. In the solid state, phosphorescence from dominant 3(Cu → CAAC) CT states is observed at room temperature. The emission of the complexes is bathochromically shifted in comparison to structurally related linearly coordinated copper(I) CAAC complexes due to structural reorganization in the excited state to a T-shape. For [Cu(dbm)(CAACMe)], the broad phosphorescence with outstanding λmax = 760 nm tailors out to ca. 1100 nm and leads to its proof-of-concept application as a nonclassical single-photon light source, constituting key functional units for the implementation of tap-proof data transfer.
A series of chiral mechanochromic copper(I) cAAC (cAAC = cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbene) complexes with a variety of amide ligands have been studied with regard to their photophysical and chiroptical properties to elucidate structure-property relationships for the design of efficient triplet exciton emitters exhibiting circularly polarized luminescence. Depending on the environment, which determines the excited state energies, either thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) from 1/3 LLCT states or phosphorescence from 3 LLCT/LC states occurs.However, neither chiral moieties at the carbene nor at the carbazolate ligands provide detectable luminescence dissymmetries g lum . An exception is [Cu(phenoxazinyl)(cAAC)], showing orange to deep red TADF with λ max = 601-715 nm in solution, powders and in PMMA. In this case, the amide ligand can undergo distortions in the excited state. This design motif leads to the first linear, non-aggregated CPL-active copper(I) complex with g lum of À 3.4 • 10 À 3 combined with a high radiative rate constant of 6.7 • 10 5 s À 1 .
Molecular emitters that combine circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) and high radiative rate constants of the triplet exci-ton decay are highly attractive for electroluminescent devices (OLEDs) or next generation photonic applications, such as spintronics, quantum computing, cryptography or sensors. However, the design of such emitters is a major challenge because the criteria for enhancing these two properties are mutually exclusive. In this contribution, we show that enantiomerically pure [Cu(CbzR)((S/R)-BINAP)] (R = H (1), 3,6-tBu (2)) are efficient TADF emitters with high radiative rate constants of kTADF up to 3.1·105 s-1, and exceptional dissymmetry values of the emission glum of ±0.7·10-2 in THF solution and ±2.3·10-2 in the solid state are observed. Importantly for application in electroluminescence devices, the efficiency of the TADF pro-cess and emission wavelengths are highly sensitive to environmental hydrogen bonding of the ligands, which can be disrupt-ed either by grinding of the crystalline materials or by employing sterically bulky matrices. Accordingly, we have investigat-ed various matrix materials for successful implementation of the chiral copper(I) TADF emitters in proof-of-concept CP-OLEDs.
Cyclopentadienyls are well-known strong donor ligands and have been successfully employed in catalysis as they tolerate a variety of substituents to adjust their steric and electronic properties. Although such highly modifiable ligands are of great interest for luminescence and photocatalytic applications, studies of CpR-containing photoactive transition-metal complexes are quite rare. In this work, we present a structural, electrochemical, and first elaborated photophysical investigation of a series of copper(I) half-sandwich complexes bearing cyclic alkyl(amino)carbenes (CAACs) as chromophore ligands and compare them with [Cu(Cp)(IDipp)] and [Cu(Cp*)(IDipp)] bearing a traditional N-heterocyclic carbene. Furthermore, we present the first molecular structure derived from single-crystal X-ray diffraction of a copper(I) indenyl complex, which can be described as an η2 (σ, π)-coordination. The CuI half-sandwich complexes show blue–green to orange phosphorescence with a photoluminescence quantum yield of up to 59% and radiative rate constants k r of up to 4 × 104 s–1 in the solid state, depending on the substitution pattern of the CpR ligand. Our TD/DFT calculations suggest that the emitting excited states are of 3MLCT/LLCT character. We determined the excited-state lifetime of the CuI half-sandwich complexes in solution to be as long as 600 ns, which in combination with the large π-surface of the CpR ligands allows for Dexter energy transfer for photocatalytic applications. In addition, the chiroptical properties of chiral [Cu(Cp/Cp*)(CAACMenthone)] were studied and compared to [CuCl(CAACMenthone)], of which we demonstrate that its circular polarized luminescence is the result of excimer formation and not, as previously reported, attributed to the monomeric C 1-symmetric structure.
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