Theoretical estimation of the peak
wavelengths of phosphorescence was performed at the MCSCF+SOCI/SBKJC+p
level of theory for several typical platinum complexes in the research
field of organic-light-emitting-diodes (OLEDs), where MCSCF+SOCI is
the abbreviation of multiconfiguration self-consistent field calculations
followed by second-order configuration interaction calculations. The
spin–orbit coupling (SOC) integrals among low-lying electronic
states of different spin multiplicities were explicitly calculated
within the Z
eff approximation. By using
these computational methods, the experimental results for peak wavelengths
of phosphorescence were reasonably explained for cis-bis[2-(2′-thienyl)pyridinato-N,C3′]platinum(II)
and its derivatives. The replacement of one of the 2-(2′-thienyl)pyridinate
(thpy) ligands by a 2,4-pentanedionate (acac) ligand causes a blue shift of the phosphorescent peak by about
10 nm. The use of a 1,3-bis(phenyl)propane-1,3-dionate (bpp), 1,3-bis(n-methoxyphenyl)propane-1,3-dionate (bmp), or 1,3-bis(3,4-methoxyphenyl)propane-1,3-dionate (bdmp) ligand, instead of an acac ligand,
has almost no effect on the peak wavelength of phosphorescence. When
a benzene ring is fused to a thpy ligand, the peak
wavelength is estimated to be 613 or 651 nm for [2,2′-(4′,5′-benzo)thienyl)pyridinato-N,C3′][1,3-bis(3,4-dibutoxyphenyl)propane-1,3-dionato-O,O]platinum(II)
[btpPt(bdbp)] and [1-(2′-thienyl)isoquinolyl-N,C3′][1,3-bis(3,4-dibutoxyphenyl)propane-1,3-dionato-O,O]platinum(II)
[1tiqPt(bdbp)], respectively, after correction of
the present computational underestimation. These theoretical estimations
are in good agreement with the corresponding observations.