Nianyong Zhu

The synthesis and structural, photophysical, electrochemical, and electroluminescent properties of a class of platinum(II) complexes bearing sigma-alkynyl ancillary ligands, namely [(C/N/N)Pt(C[triple bond]C]nR] [H(C/N/N) = 6-aryl-2,2'-bipyridine; n = 1-4; R = aryl, alkyl, or trimethylsilyl], have been studied. Substituents with different steric and electronic properties were introduced into the tridentate cyclometalating and arylacetylide ligands, and the pi-conjugation length of the oligoynyl moiety was homologously extended from ethynyl to octatetraynyl. The X-ray crystal structures of several derivatives confirm the Pt-(CC) ligation and reveal various intermolecular interactions, such as pi-pi, Pt...Pt, and C-H...F-C. The complexes display good thermal stability and intense phosphorescence in fluid and glassy solutions with high quantum yields and microsecond lifetimes. Their emission energies are sensitive to solvent polarity, the electronic affinities of the substituents on both the cyclometalating and arylacetylide groups, and the length of the oligoynyl ligand. By choosing appropriate cyclometalating and sigma-alkynyl ligands, the emission color of this class of platinum(II) complexes can be tuned from green-yellow to saturated red. In addition to (3)MLCT [Pt(5d) --> pi*(C/N/N)] and (3)IL(C/N/N), intriguing (3)IL(alkynyl) excited states localized on -(C[triple bond]C)(4)- and -(C[triple bond]Cpyrenyl-1) moieties that afford narrow-bandwidth emissions have been observed. Selected Pt(II) complexes were doped into the emissive region of multilayer, vapor-deposited organic light-emitting diodes. The tunable electrophosphorescence energy resembles that recorded in fluid solutions for these emitters, and the devices exhibit high luminance and efficiencies (up to 4.2 cd A(-1)).

A dramatic color change and tremendous emission enhancement have been "switched on" upon increasing diethyl ether ratio in acetonitrile or acetone solution of [Pt(tpy)(CC-CCH)]OTf, attributed to the formation of Pt...Pt and pi-pi interactions. Two crystal forms (dark-green and red) of [Pt(tpy)(CC-CCH)]OTf, together with [Pt(tBu3-tpy)(CC-CCH)]OTf, show different crystal-packing modes as revealed by X-ray crystallography.

A versatile bis(2,5-dimethyl-3-thienyl)-1,10-phenanthroline photochromic ligand has been successfully synthesized via a Suzuki cross-coupling reaction. The excitation wavelength for photochromic reaction of the dithienylphenanthroline could be extended from lambda </= 340 nm in the UV region to ca. 480 nm in the visible region, corresponding to the MLCT excitation, through the incorporation into the rhenium(I) tricarbonyl system. Reversible switching of the emissive state by the photochromic reaction has also been demonstrated.

We present the synthesis and photophysical and electroluminescent properties for a series of platinum(II) alpha-diimine bis(arylacetylide) complexes. The molecular structures of five derivatives have been elucidated by X-ray crystallography. Intermolecular pi-pi interactions (between aromatic diimine and phenylacetylide moieties) are apparent in the crystal lattices of two of these. All bis(phenylacetylide) derivatives exhibit intense triplet metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) photoluminescence in the solid state and in fluid solutions at room temperature. The impact of different solvents, substituents on the diimine ligands, and complex concentrations upon their emissive behavior have been examined and demonstrates that their emission energies can be systematically modified. Application of the 3MLCT excited state of the [Pt(alpha-diimine) (C(triple bond)CPh)2] materials in single- and double-layer organic light-emitting devices are described. The bis(butadiynyl) complex [Pt(4,4'-dtbpy)(C(triple bond)C-C(triple bond)CPh)2] (dtbpy = 4,4'-di-tert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine) displays strong solid-state and solution phosphorescence at 77 and 298 K; the associated excited state is proposed to arise from both acetylenic 3pi pi*(C(triple bond)C-C(triple bond)CPh) and 3MLCT [Pt --> pi*(diimine)] transitions.

The synthesis and structural, spectroscopic, and electrochemical properties of a series of trinuclear tridentate cyclometalated platinum(II) complexes tethered by bis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)phenylphosphine (dpmp) have been studied and compared with their mono- and binuclear homologues and a propeller-like congener. The X-ray crystal structures of several derivatives show the presence of a variety of intramolecular Pt.Pt, pi-pi, and C-H...O(crown ether) and intermolecular pi-pi interactions. The trinuclear complexes display strong absorption in the 400-600 nm region and show intense red to near-infrared phosphorescence with microsecond lifetimes in fluid and glassy solutions and in the solid state. These emissions are generally assigned as (3)MMLCT [dsigma-->pi(CNN)] in nature. The close similarities between the emission energies in acetonitrile solution and in the solid state at 298 K indicate that comparable Pt.Pt and pi-pi configurations are maintained in both media, and hence a relationship between the photophysical behavior of these lumophores and their solid-state structural features is proposed. The tendencies of the absorption and emission energies to red-shift from mono- to linearly tethered bi- and trinuclear Pt(II) species are evident. A light-emitting electrochemical cell using a trinuclear Pt(II) derivative as emitter has been demonstrated.