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Title: Red to near-infrared phosphorescent Ir( iii ) complexes with electron-rich chelating ligands
The design of molecular phosphors with near-unity photoluminescence quantum yields in the low-energy regions of the spectrum, red to near-infrared, is a long-standing challenge. Because of the energy gap law and the quantum mechanical dependence of radiative decay rate on the excited-state energy, compounds which luminesce in this region of the spectrum typically suffer from low quantum yields. In this article, we highlight our group's advances in the design of top-performing cyclometalated iridium complexes which phosphoresce in red to near-infrared regions. The compounds we have introduced in this body of work have the general formula Ir(C^N) 2 (L^X), where C^N is a cyclometalating ligand that controls the photoluminescence color and L^X is a monoanionic chelating ancillary ligand. The Ir(C^N) 2 (L^X) structure type is among the most widely studied and technologically successful classes of molecular phosphors, particularly when L^X = acetylacetonate (acac). In our work we have pioneered the use of electron-rich, nitrogen containing ancillary (L^X) ligands as a means of controlling the excited-state dynamics and optimizing them to give record-breaking phosphorescence quantum yields. This paper progresses through our work in three distinct regions of the spectrum – red, deep-red, and near-infrared – and summarizes the many insights we have gained on the relationships between molecular structure, frontier orbital energies, and excited-state dynamics.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1846831
PAR ID:
10317924
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Chemical Communications
Volume:
57
Issue:
16
ISSN:
1359-7345
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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