Arrays of ultraviolet–violet (indium tin oxide)/[copper phthalocyanine (CuPc)]/[4,4′-bis(9-carbazolyl)biphenyl (CBP)]/[2-(4-biphenylyl)-5-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-1,3,4oxadiazole (Bu-PBD)]/CsF/Al organic light-emitting devices, fabricated combinatorially using a sliding shutter technique, are described. Comparison of the OLED electroluminescence and CBP photoluminescence spectra indicates that the emission originates from the bulk of that layer. In arrays of devices in which the thickness of the CuPc and Bu–PBD were varied, but that of CBP was fixed at 50 nm, the optimal radiance R was obtained at CuPc and Bu–PBD thicknesses of 15 and 18 nm, respectively. At 10 mA/cm2, R was 0.38 mW/cm2, i.e., the external quantum efficiency was 1.25%; R increased to ∼1.2 mW/cm2 at 100 mA/cm2.

The question whether the emitter of yellow-green firefly bioluminescence is the enol or keto-constrained form of oxyluciferin (OxyLH(2)) still has no definitive answer from experiment or theory. In this study, Arg220, His247, adenosine monophosphate (AMP), Water324, Phe249, Gly343, and Ser349, which make the dominant contributions to color tuning of the fluorescence, are selected to simulate the luciferase (Luc) environment and thus elucidate the origin of firefly bioluminescence. Their respective and compositive effects on OxyLH(2) are considered and the electronic absorption and emission spectra are investigated with B3LYP, B3PW91, and PBE1KCIS methods. Comparing the respective effects in the gas and aqueous phases revealed that the emission transition is prohibited in the gas phase but allowed in the aqueous phase. For the compositive effects, the optimized geometry shows that OxyLH(2) exists in the keto(-1) form when Arg220, His247, AMP, Water324, Phe249, Gly343, and Ser349 are all included in the model. Furthermore, the emission maximum wavelength of keto(-1)+Arg+His+AMP+H(2)O+Phe+Gly+Ser is close to the experimental value (560 nm). We conclude that the keto(-1) form of OxyLH(2) is a possible emitter which can produce yellow-green bioluminescence because of the compositive effects of Arg220, His247, AMP, Water324, Phe249, Gly343, and Ser349 in the luciferase environment. Moreover, AMP may be involved in enolization of the keto(-1) form of OxyLH(2). Water324 is indispensable with respect to the environmental factors around luciferin (LH(2)).

Is the resonance-based anionic keto form of oxyluciferin the chemical origin of multicolor bioluminescence? Can it modulate green into red luminescence? There is as yet no definitive answer from experiment or theory. The resonance-based anionic keto forms of oxyluciferin have been proposed as a cause of multicolor bioluminescence in the firefly. We model the possible structures by adding sodium or ammonium cations and investigating the ground- and excited-state geometries as well as the electronic absorption and emission spectra. A role for the resonance structures is obvious in the gas phase. The absorption and emission spectra of the two structures are quite different--one in the blue and another in the red. The differences in the spectra of the models are small in aqueous solution, with all the absorption and emission spectra in the yellow-green region. The resonance-based anionic keto form of oxyluciferin may be one origin of the red-shifted luminescence but is not the exclusive explanation for the variation from green (approximately 530 nm) to red (approximately 635 nm). We study the geometries, absorption, and emission spectra of the possible protonated compounds of keto(-1) in the excited states. A new emitter keto(-1)'-H is considered.

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Photocatalysts consisting of porphyrin and graphene have been designed and applied to reduce CO2 to C2H2 under visible light, which is an excellent simulator of natural photosynthesis.

A fluorescent chemical sensor platform, integrating an organic light-emitting device ͑OLED͒ light-source with a fluorescent probe, is demonstrated for a subsecond-fast oxygen sensor. The integration results in strong light coupling and negligible heating of the sensor film or analyte. The potential in vivo operation of compact, stand-alone, battery-powered, OLED-based miniaturized sensor arrays for chemical and biological applications is discussed.

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Heteroleptic neutral mononuclear cuprous complexes with dipyrrin derivatives and phosphine mixed-ligands including 1,3,7,9-tetramethyldipyrrin (1), 5-phenyl-1,3,7,9-tetramethyldipyrrin (2), 2,8-dibromo-1,3,7,9-tetramethyldipyrrin (3), 1,9-dichloro-5-phenyldipyrrin (4), 1,9-dibromo-5-phenyldipyrrin (5), 5-pentafluorophenyl-1,3,7,9-tetramethyldipyrrin (6) and 1,5,9-triphenyldipyrrin (7) have been synthesized and fully characterized. The central Cu(i) atoms of these complexes in general formulas of Cu(1-6)(PPh(3))(2) (1a-6a) and Cu(1-6)(DPEphos) (1b-6b) [DPEphos = bis(2-diphenylphosphinophenyl)ether] all exhibit a pseudo-tetrahedral geometry, while complex Cu(7)(PPh(3)) (7a) is tricoordinated in a pyramidal conformation due to the large steric hindrance of ligand 7. The oxidation potentials assigned to oxidations of Cu(i)-Cu(ii) are extraordinarily low in the range of 0.36-1.02 V vs. Ag/AgCl compared with traditional [Cu(phen)(PP)](+) analogues. Their emission maxima range from 495 to 595 nm in dichloromethane at room temperature with quantum yields of 0.05-4.03% and lifetimes on the order of nanoseconds. Unlike the characteristic MLCT emission in cationic Cu(i) complexes, the emissions are assigned to the dipyrrin-centered intraligand charge transition (ILCT) based on the fact that the increased conjugation within the dipyrrinato anion leads to a weaker metal-ligand interaction, thus preventing the mixing of π orbitals of ligand and 3d orbitals of Cu(i) atom. This conclusion is also supported by electrochemical data and theoretical calculations.