A facile synthesis of indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazoles via palladium-catalyzed intramolecular cyclization

Efficient narrowband yellow organic light-emitting diodes based on iridium(III) complexes with the rigid indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole unit

Phosphorescent material with narrowband emission is crucial for advancing wide-color-gamut organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). In this work, two iridium(III) complexes, (PhthzICz)2Ir(tmd) and (thzICz)2Ir(tmd), using rigid 2-(benzothiazole-2-yl)indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole (PhthzICz) and 2-(thiazole-2-yl)indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole (thzICz) as cyclometalated ligands and 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedione (tmd) as ancillary ligands, were synthesized. When these complexes were doped into the host material 3,3'-di(9H-carbazol-9-yl)-1,1'-biphenyl, the doped films exhibited yellow photoluminescence (PL) peaking at 537 and 531 nm, full width at half maximum (FWHM) bands of 35 and 60 nm, and PL quantum yields of 89.9% and 85.9%, respectively. OLEDs based on these two emitters display moderate performance characteristics with maximum external quantum efficiencies of 25.2% and 22.7%. Notably, the device based on (PhthzICz)2Ir(tmd) exhibits a narrow FWHM of 31 nm. Overall, the study highlights the practicality of incorporating rigid groups into the cyclometalated ligands of Ir(III) complexes as a viable strategy for achieving efficient Ir(III) complexes for OLEDs with narrow emission and high efficiency.

Synthetic progress of organic thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitters via C-H activation and functionalization

Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters have become increasingly prominent due to their promising applications across various fields, prompting a continuous demand for developing reliable synthetic methods to access them. This review aims to highlight the progress made in the last decade in synthesizing organic TADF compounds through C-H bond activation and functionalization. The review begins with a brief introduction to the basic features and design principles of TADF emitters. It then provides an overview of the advantages and concise development of C-H bond transformations in constructing TADF emitters. Subsequently, it summarizes both transition-metal-catalyzed and non-transition-metal-promoted C-H bond transformations used for the synthesis of TADF emitters. Finally, the review gives an outlook on further challenges and potential directions in this field.

Photocatalytic Bicyclization of Indole-Tethered 1,6-Enynes for Diastereoselective Synthesis of Pyrrolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazoles

A visible-light-driven photocatalytic protocol is established for the diastereoselective synthesis of pyrrolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazoles via a radical-triggered multicomponent bicyclization reaction starting from readily available indole-tethered 1,6-enynes and α-benzyl-α-bromomalonates under mild conditions. This photocatalytic approach exhibits a wide substrate compatibility and excellent tolerability toward various functional groups and boasts the benefit of efficient ring formation and chemical bond creation.

Palladium-Catalyzed Oxidative Annulation Leading to Substituted Pyrrolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazoles by Sequential C-N and C-C Bond Formation

A novel regioselective annulation of propargylic alcohols with simple carbazoles for the construction of [3,2,1-jk]carbazole scaffolds is described to be the first example of intermolecular synthesis of [3,2,1-jk]carbazoles from simple carbazoles. In situ synthesis of propargyl alcohols from simple, cheap, and easily accessible ketones has also been developed during the one-pot synthesis of [3,2,1-jk]carbazoles.

Oxidative Cyclodehydrogenation of Trinaphthylamine: Selective Formation of a Nitrogen-Centered Polycyclic π-System Comprising 5- and 7-Membered Rings

We describe a new type of nitrogen-centered polycyclic scaffold comprising a unique combination of 5-, 6-, and 7-membered rings. The compound is accessible through an intramolecular oxidative cyclodehydrogenation of tri(1-naphthyl)amine. To the best of our knowledge this is the very first example of a direct 3-fold cyclization of a triarylamine under oxidative conditions. The unusual ring fusion motif is confirmed by X-ray crystallography and the impact of cyclization on the electronic and photophysical properties is investigated both experimentally and theoretically based on density-functional theory (DFT) calculations. The formation of the unexpected product is rationalized by detailed mechanistic studies on the DFT level. The results suggest the cyclization to occur under kinetic control via a dicationic mechanism.

Indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole-Derived Narrowband Violet-Blue Fluorophores: Tuning the Optical and Electroluminescence Properties by Chromophore Juggling

The development of rigid polyaromatic building blocks for narrowband violet fluorophores has received tremendous attention. Herein, we designed and synthesized two new triangle-shaped rigid building blocks, namely, 2,5-di-tert-butylindolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole (tBuICz) and 2,11-di-tert-butylindolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole-4-carbonitrile (tBuICzCN), and tethered them with different chromophores to yield a series of violet-blue fluorophores, viz., ICzTPA-ICzPICN, and studied their structure-function relationship. The appended chromophores and cyano unit played a vital role in controlling the optical and electrical properties of the compounds. Except triphenylamine-substituted derivatives, the compounds showed pure violet emission (λ_em ≤ 403 nm). Intriguingly, the compounds exhibited narrow-band emission with a full-width at half-maximum ≤ 40 nm, attributed to the rigidity of the ICz core. The emission of the compounds displayed positive solvatochromism, which is ascribed to the photoinduced intramolecular charge transfer in the excited state. The compounds revealed excellent thermal robustness with T_5d ≥ 363 °C. The triphenylamine-featuring derivatives displayed a high-lying HOMO compared to their congeners due to their electron-rich nature. When we applied these materials in organic light-emitting diodes, ICzPI outperformed in the series with an EQE_max of 3.07% and a current efficiency of 1.04 cd/A. Notably, its CIEy ∼ 0.046 precisely matched with the Rec.2020 standard of deep-blue color (CIEy ∼ 0.046).

Thienopyrrolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazoles: Building Blocks for Functional Organic Materials

The facile preparation of three regioisomeric thienopyrrolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazoles applying a convenient C-H activation approach is presented. The incorporation of thiophene into the triarylamine framework significantly impacted the molecular properties in comparison to the analogous indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole scaffold. Dependent on the exact substitution pattern, the absorption onsets of the new materials are shifted toward slightly higher wavelengths compared to the analogous indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole, whereas the emission maxima of the sulfur derivatives is shifted from 375 to 410 nm. In analogy, the HOMO-LUMO energy gap of the thienopyrrolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazoles is reduced compared to indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole. Therefore, the developed thienopyrrolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazoles enrich the family of triarylamine donors and constitute a novel building block for functional organic materials.

An intermolecular C-H oxidizing strategy to access highly fused carbazole skeletons from simple naphthylamines

Highly π-extended hetero-cyclic/aromatic skeletons are of great importance as they can be utilized in many organic material based technologies. Therefore, developing efficient, pre-activation-free, synthetic procedures for the rapid build-up of these complex structures remains a high priority objective. The herein presented approach delivers highly fused carbazole skeletons from simple naphthylamine derivatives.

Azaindolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazoles: New Building Blocks for Functional Organic Materials

The preparation and characterization of 12 azaindolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazoles is presented. Ring-closing C-H activation allowed for the convenient preparation of six singly and six doubly nitrogen-substituted indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole derivatives in which ten of the materials have not been described in the literature before. The detailed photophysical and electrochemical characterization of the developed materials revealed a significant impact of the incorporation of pyridine-like nitrogen into the fully planar indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole backbone. Furthermore, the nitrogen position decisively impacted intermolecular hydrogen bonding and thus the solid-state alignment. Ultimately, the versatility of the azaindolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazoles scaffold makes this class of materials an attractive new building block for the design of functional organic materials.

Sodium sulfate–hydrogen peroxide–sodium chloride adduct: selective protocol for the oxidative bromination, iodination and temperature dependent oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides and sulfones

Sodium sulfate–hydrogen peroxide–sodium chloride adduct: selective protocols for anilines and sulfides oxidation.

Controlling excimer formation in indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole/9H-carbazole based host materials for RGB PhOLEDs

Three novel materials (5CzICz, Cz2ICz and Cz3ICz), based on the indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole and 9H-carbazole building blocks, with high triplet energies (E T > 2.80 eV) and good thermal stability (T g > 101 °C) were synthesized, characterized and applied as host materials in PhOLED devices. In course of the preparation of the materials, an improved protocol for the synthesis of the indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole moiety has been developed. The careful molecular design of the title compounds allowed to avoid excimer formation of the indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole subunits in thin films. Therefore, the improved molecular design broadened the applicability of indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole host materials and significantly enhanced the efficiency of PhOLED devices based on these derivatives compared to previously reported indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole based compounds. Accordingly, employing the newly developed materials red (CEmax: 32.7 cd A-1, PEmax: 31.0 lm W-1, EQEmax: 20.4%), green (CEmax: 81.0 cd A-1, PEmax: 87.4 lm W-1, EQEmax: 21.5%) and blue (CEmax: 35.5 cd A-1, PEmax: 39.9 lm W-1, EQEmax: 18.0%) PhOLED devices with a remarkably low efficiency roll-off at 1000 cd m-2 (Cz2ICz - red: 5%; green: 0%; blue: 6%) were fabricated.

Control of excimer phosphorescence by steric effects in cyclometalated platinum(ii) diketonate complexes bearing peripheral carbazole moieties towards application in non-doped white OLEDs

Non-doped multilayer OLEDs employing bulky platinum(ii) complexes exhibited white electroluminescence due to the combination of blue monomer and orange excimer emissions.

Heterocyclic Nanographenes and Other Polycyclic Heteroaromatic Compounds: Synthetic Routes, Properties, and Applications

Two-dimensionally extended, polycyclic heteroaromatic molecules (heterocyclic nanographenes) are a highly versatile class of organic materials, applicable as functional chromophores and organic semiconductors. In this Review, we discuss the rich chemistry of large heteroaromatics, focusing on their synthesis, electronic properties, and applications in materials science. This Review summarizes the historical development and current state of the art in this rapidly expanding field of research, which has become one of the key exploration areas of modern heterocyclic chemistry.

Copper/β-diketone-catalysed N-arylation of carbazoles

A copper/β-diketone-catalysedN-arylation of carbazoles with aryl iodides is developed with broad substrate applicability and moderate to good yields.

New D–π–A organic dyes containing a tert-butyl-capped indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole donor with bithiophene unit as π-linker for dye-sensitized solar cells

A new kind of D–π–A organic dye containing a tert-butyl-capped indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole unit as a donor with bithiophene unit as a π bridge and cyanoacrylic acid as an acceptor has been designed and synthesized for DSSCs.

Phosphate tricyclic coumarin analogs as steroid sulfatase inhibitors: synthesis and biological activity

In the present work, we report convenient methods for the synthesis and biological evaluation of phosphate tricyclic coumarin derivatives as potential steroid sulfatase inhibitors.