A new design strategy to tune emission color of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) Ir(III) complexes, by simply adjusting the strength of donor/acceptor on ancillary ligands, is reported. Herein, all studied Ir(III) complexes employ 1-(2,4difluorophenyl)-1H-pyrazole as cyclometalated ligands but different pyridine-1,2,4triazolyl moieties as ancillary ligands that were modified with carbazole end-capped alkyl groups, in which pyridine-1,2,4-triazolyl moieties and functionalized carbazole act as donor and acceptor units, respectively. The experimental and theoretical results clearly reveal the intrinsic relationship between structures and emission behaviors. Enhancing the ability of donor and/or acceptor leads to red-shifted emission and vice versa. In addition, one of the designed dyes exhibits the reversible and significant mechanochromic luminescent behavior thanks to its efficient AIE characteristic and structural modification, providing a feasible way to design multifunctional materials.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.