Twisted and Disconnected Chains: Flexible Linear Tetracuprous Arrays and a Decanuclear Cu^I Cluster as Blue- and Green/Yellow-Light Emitters

Abstract

Defined arrays of transition metal ions embedded in tailored polydentate ligand scaffolds allow for a systematic design of their physical properties. Such molecular strings of closed-shell transition metal centers are particularly interesting for Group 11 metal ions in the oxidation state +1 if they undergo metallophilic d 10 •••d 10 contact interactions since these clusters are oftentimes efficient photoluminescence (PL) emitters. Copper is particularly attractive as a sustainable earth-abundant coinage metal source and because of the ability of several Cu I complexes to serve as powerful thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters in molecular/organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). Our combined synthetic, crystallographic, photophysical, and computational study describes a straight tetracuprous array possessing a centrally disconnected Cu I 2 •••Cu I 2 chain and a continuous helically bent Cu I 4 complex. This molecular helix undergoes a facile rearrangement in diethyl ether solution, yielding an unprecedented nanosized Cu I 10 cluster (2.9 × 2.0 nm) upon crystallization. All three clusters show either bright blue phosphorescence, TADF, or green/yellow multiband phosphorescence with quantum yields between 6.5 and 67%, which is persistent under hydrostatic pressure up to 30 kbar. Temperature-dependent PL investigations in combination with time-dependent density-functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations and void space analyses of the crystal packings complement a comprehensive correlation between the molecular structures and photoluminescence properties.