In the search for understanding and improving the luminescence of optical materials based on Ir(III) complexes, three [Ir(C ∧ N) 2 (dnbp)] + (dnbp = 4,4′-dinonyl-2,2′-bipyridine) emitters were immobilized in MCM-41 mesoporous nanoparticles. By taking advantage of the amphiphilic nature of [Ir(C ∧ N) 2 (dnbp)] + , the complexes were mixed with an appropriate surfactant and the resulting micelles served as templates for the synthesis of mesoporous silica host materials in a one-step sol−gel route. The MCMencapsulated [Ir(C ∧ N) 2 (dnbp)] + complexes present intense emissions with prominent rigidochromic spectral changes that are substantially less affected by O 2 as compared to methanolic solutions, with a thousand-fold decrease in quenching rate constants. These photophysical results points to a possible suitability of Ir(III)-complex−MCM-41 host−guest systems for possible future optoelectronic devices, rigidity optical sensors, or biological markers in different colors.
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