Impact of Substituents on Excited-State and Photosensitizing Properties in Cationic Iridium(III) Complexes with Ligands of Coumarin 6

Insulated π-Conjugated Azido Scaffolds for Stepwise Functionalization via Huisgen Cycloaddition on Metal Oxide Surfaces

In organic-inorganic hybrid devices, fine interfacial controls by organic components directly affect the device performance. However, fabrication of uniformed interfaces using π-conjugated molecules remains challenging due to facile aggregation by their strong π-π interaction. In this report, a π-conjugated scaffold insulated by covalently linked permethylated α-cyclodextrin moiety with an azido group is synthesized for surface Huisgen cycloaddition on metal oxides. Fourier-transformed infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirm the successful immobilization of the insulated azido scaffold on ZnO nanowire array surfaces. Owing to the highly independent immobilization, the scaffold allows rapid and complete conversion of the surface azido group in Huisgen cycloaddition reactions with ethynyl-terminated molecules, as confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy monitoring. Cyclic voltammetry analysis of modified indium tin oxide substrates shows the positive effects of cyclic insulation toward suppression of intermolecular interaction between molecules introduced by the surface Huisgen cycloaddition reactions. The utility of the scaffold for heterogeneous catalysis is demonstrated in electrocatalytic selective O2 reduction to H2O2 with cobalt(II) chlorin modified fluorine doped tin oxide electrode and photocatalytic H2 generation with iridium(III) dye-sensitized Pt-loaded TiO2 nanoparticle. These results highlight the potential of the insulated azido scaffold for a stepwise functionalization process, enabling precise and well-defined hybrid interfaces.

Tailored Metal-Based Catalysts: A New Platform for Targeted Anticancer Therapies

Innovative strategies for targeted anticancer therapies have gained significant momentum, with metal complexes emerging as tunable catalysts for more effective and safer treatments. Rational design and engineering of metal complexes enable the development of tailored molecular structures optimized for precision oncology. The strategic incorporation of metal complex catalysts within combinatorial therapies amplifies their anticancer properties. This perspective highlights the advancements in synthetic strategies and rational design since 2019, showing how tailored metal catalysts are optimized by designing structures to release or in situ synthesize active drugs, leveraging the target-specific characteristics to develop more precise cancer therapies. This review explores metal-based catalysts, including those conjugated with biomolecules, nanostructures, and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), highlighting their catalytic activity in biological environments and their in vitro/in vivo performance. To sum up, the potential of metal complexes as catalysts to reshape the landscape of anticancer therapies and foster novel avenues for therapeutic advancement is emphasized.

Construction of Robust Iridium(III) Complex-Based Photosensitizer for Boosting Hydrogen Evolution

Developing a photosensitizer with high efficiency and long-term stability for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution is highly desirable yet remains a challenge. Herein, a novel Ir(III) complex-based photosensitizer (Ir3) bearing coumarin and triphenylamine groups is designed. Ir3 exhibits record activity and durability among reported transition metal complexes for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, with a TON of 198,363 and a duration of 214 h. The excellent photocatalytic performance of Ir3 can be attributed to the synergistic effect of coumarin and triphenylamine, which improves the visible light absorption, charge separation, and electron transfer capacity of photosensitizers. This is an efficient and long-lived Ir(III) photosensitizer constructed on the basis of a synergistic approach, which could provide a new insight for the development of high-performance Ir(III) photosensitizers at the molecular level.

Cyclometalated iridium-coumarin ratiometric oxygen sensors: improved signal resolution and tunable dynamic ranges

In this work we introduce a new series of ratiometric oxygen sensors based on phosphorescent cyclometalated iridium centers partnered with organic coumarin fluorophores. Three different cyclometalating ligands and two different pyridyl-containing coumarin types were used to prepare six target complexes with tunable excited-state energies. Three of the complexes display dual emission, with fluorescence arising from the coumarin ligand, and phosphorescence from either the cyclometalated iridium center or the coumarin. These dual-emitting complexes function as ratiometric oxygen sensors, with the phosphorescence quenched under O2 while fluorescence is unaffected. The use of blue-fluorescent coumarins results in good signal resolution between fluorescence and phosphorescence. Moreover, the sensitivity and dynamic range, measured with Stern-Volmer analysis, can be tuned two orders of magnitude by virtue of our ability to synthetically control the triplet excited-state ordering. The complex with cyclometalated iridium 3MLCT phosphorescence operates under hyperoxic conditions, whereas the two complexes with coumarin-centered phosphorescence are sensitive to very low levels of O2 and function as hypoxic sensors.

Light-induced electron transfer/phase migration of a redox mediator for photocatalytic C-C coupling in a biphasic solution

Photocatalytic molecular conversions that lead to value-added chemicals are of considerable interest. To achieve highly efficient photocatalytic reactions, it is equally important as it is challenging to construct systems that enable effective charge separation. Here, we demonstrate that the rational construction of a biphasic solution system with a ferrocenium/ferrocene (Fc⁺/Fc) redox couple enables efficient photocatalysis by spatial charge separation using the liquid-liquid interface. In a single-phase system, exposure of a 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) solution containing a Ru(II)- or Ir(III)-based photosensitizer, Fc, and benzyl bromide (Bn-Br) to visible-light irradiation failed to generate any product. However, the photolysis in a H₂O/DCE biphasic solution, where the compounds are initially distributed in the DCE phase, facilitated the reductive coupling of Bn-Br to dibenzyl (Bn₂) using Fc as an electron donor. The key result of this study is that Fc⁺, generated by photooxidation of Fc in the DCE phase, migrates to the aqueous phase due to the drastic change in its partition coefficient compared to that of Fc. This liquid-liquid phase migration of the mediator is essential for facilitating the reduction of Bn-Br in the DCE phase as it suppresses backward charge recombination. The co-existence of anions can further modify the driving force of phase migration of Fc⁺ depending on their hydrophilicity; the best photocatalytic activity was obtained with a turnover frequency of 79.5 h^-1 and a quantum efficiency of 0.2% for the formation of Bn₂ by adding NBu₄⁺Br^- to the biphasic solution. This study showcases a potential approach for rectifying electron transfer with suppressed charge recombination to achieve efficient photocatalysis.

Highly Efficient Ir(III)-Coumarin Photo-Redox Catalyst for Synergetic Multi-Mode Cancer Photo-Therapy

Four photo-catalysts of the general formula [Ir(CO6/ppy)₂ (L)]Cl where CO6=coumarin 6 (Ir1-Ir3), ppy=2-phenylpyridine (Ir4), L=4'-(3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl)-2,2' : 6',2''-terpyridine (Ir1), 4'-(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-2,2' : 6',2''-terpyridine (Ir2 and Ir4), and 4-([2,2' : 6',2''-terpyridin]-4'-yl)-N,N-dimethylaniline (Ir3) were synthesized and characterized. These photostable photo-catalysts (Ir1-Ir3) showed strong visible light absorption between 400-550 nm. Upon light irradiation (465 and 525 nm), Ir1-Ir3 generated singlet oxygen and induced rapidly photo-catalytic oxidation of cellular coenzymes NAD(P)H. Ir1-Ir3 showed time-dependent cellular uptake with excellent intracellular retention efficiency. Upon green light irradiation (525 nm), Ir2 provided a much higher photo-index (PI=793) than the clinically used photosensitizer, 5-aminolevulinicacid (5-ALA, PI>30) against HeLa cancer cells. The observed necro-apoptotic anticancer activity of Ir2 was due to the Ir2 triggered photo-induced intracellular redox imbalance (by NAD(P)H oxidation and ROS generation) and change in the mitochondrial membrane potential. Remarkably, Ir2 showed in vivo photo-induced catalytic anticancer activity in mouse models.

Cyclometalated Iridium(III) Complex-Sensitized NiO-Based-Cathodic Photoelectrochemical Platform for DNA Methyltransferase Assay

This work reports an efficient [(C6)₂Ir(dppz)]⁺PF₆^- (C6 = coumarin 6 and dppz = dipyridophenazine)-sensitized NiO photocathode and its application in photoelectrochemical (PEC) bioanalysis field for the first time. This dye-sensitized NiO photocathode was found to exhibit a markedly enhanced cathodic photocurrent. A sensitive cathodic PEC platform was proposed integrating the as-prepared photocathode with enzyme-free cascaded amplification strategies of the catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) and the hybridization chain reaction (HCR) for DNA methyltransferase (MTase) assay. A hairpin DNA(H_Dam) with specific recognition site of Dam MTase in its stem was designed. The site of H_Dam was methylated in the presence of Dam MTase and then cut by endonuclease DpnI. The released loop fragment, as an initiator, triggered the CHA circuit and the follow-up HCR circuit, resulting in long dsDNA concatemers on the ITO electrode. Numerous [(C6)₂Ir(dppz)]⁺PF₆^- were intercalated into dsDNA, and highly efficient signal amplification was realized. Benefiting from the superior iridium(III) complex-sensitized NiO photocathode and effective amplification strategy, a detection limit of 0.0028 U/mL for the determination of Dam MTase was achieved. Moreover, this work further demonstrated that these proposed tactics could be applied to screen Dam MTase activity inhibitors.

Two Excited State Collaboration of Heteroleptic Ir(III)-Coumarin Complexes for H2 Evolution Dye-Sensitized Photocatalysts

Interfacial electron injection from a photoexcited surface-immobilized dye to a semiconductor substrate is a key reaction for dye-sensitized photocatalysts. We previously reported that the molecular orientation of heteroleptic Ir(III) photosensitizer on the TiO2 nanoparticle surface was important for efficient interfacial electron injection. In this work, to overcome the weak light absorption ability of heteroleptic Ir(III) photosensitizer and to improve the photoinduced charge-separation efficiency at the dye–semiconductor interface, we synthesized two heteroleptic Ir(III) complexes with different coumarin dyes, [Ir(C6)2(H4CPbpy)]Cl and [Ir(C30)2(H4CPbpy)]Cl [Ir-CX; X = 6 or 30; HC6 = 3-(2-enzothiazolyl)-7-(diethylamino)coumarin, HC30 = 3-(2-N-methylbenzimidazolyl)-7-N,N-diethylaminocoumarin, H4CPbpy = 4,4′-bis(methylphosphonic acid)-2,2′-bipyridine], as the cyclometalated ligands and immobilized them on the surface of Pt-cocatalyst-loaded TiO2 nanoparticles. Ultraviolet-visible absorption and emission spectroscopy revealed that the singlet ligand-centered (1LC) absorption and triplet 3LC emission bands of Ir-C30 occurred at shorter wavelengths than those of Ir-C6, while time-dependent density-functional-theory data suggested that the ligand-to-ligand charge transfer (LLCT) excited states of the two complexes were comparable. The photocatalytic H2 evolution activity of the Ir-C6-sensitized Pt-TiO2 nanoparticles (Ir-C6@Pt-TiO2) under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm) was higher than that of Ir-C30@Pt-TiO2. In contrast, their activities were comparable under irradiation with monochromatic light (λ = 450 ± 10 nm), which is absorbed comparably by both Ir-CX complexes. These results suggest that the internal conversion from the higher-lying LC state to the LLCT state effectively occurs in both Ir-CX complexes to trigger electron injection to TiO2.

In-vitro and In-vivo Photocatalytic Cancer Therapy with Biocompatible Iridium(III) Photocatalysts

Photocatalytic anticancer profile of a Ir^III photocatalyst (Ir3) with strong light absorption, high turnover frequency, and excellent biocompatibility is reported. Ir3 showed selective photo-cytotoxicity against cisplatin- and sorafenib-resistant cell lines while remaining dormant to normal cell lines in the dark. Ir3 exhibited excellent photo-catalytic oxidation of cellular co-enzyme, the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), and amino acids via a single electron transfer mechanism. The photo-induced intracellular redox imbalance and change in mitochondrial membrane potential resulted in necrosis and apoptosis of cancer cells. Importantly, Ir3 exhibited high biocompatibility and photo-catalytic anticancer efficiency as evident from in vivo zebrafish and mouse cancer models. To the best of our knowledge, Ir3 is the first Ir^III based photocatalyst with such a high biocompatibility and photocatalytic anticancer therapeutic effect.

Triplet Excited States Modulated by Push-Pull Substituents in Monocyclometalated Iridium(III) Photosensitizers

A series of novel monocyclometalated [Ir(tpy)(btp)Cl]⁺ complexes (Ir2-Ir5) were synthesized using 2,2':6',2″-terpyridine (tpy) and 2-(2-pyridyl)benzo[b]thiophene (btp) ligands, as well as their derivatives bearing electron-donating tert-butyl (t-Bu) and electron-withdrawing trifluoromethyl (CF₃) groups. Ir2-Ir5 exhibited visible-light absorption stronger than that of the known complex [Ir(tpy)(ppy)Cl]⁺ (Ir1; ppy = 2-phenylpyridine). Spectroscopic and computational studies revealed that two triplet states were involved in the excited-state dynamics. One is a weakly emissive and short-lived ligand to ligand charge-transfer (LLCT) state originating from the charge transfer from the btp to the tpy ligand. The other is a highly emissive and long-lived ligand-centered (LC) state localized on the btp ligand. Interestingly, the excited state dominant with ³LLCT was completely changed to the ³LC state upon the introduction of substituents on both the tpy and btp ligands. For instance, the excited state of the parent complex Ir2 was weakly emissive (Φ = 2%) and short-lived (τ = 110 ns) in CH₂Cl₂; conversely, Ir5, fully furnished with t-Bu and CF₃ groups, displayed intense phosphorescence with a prolonged lifetime (τ = 14 μs). This difference became increasingly prominent when the solvent was changed to aqueous CH₃CN, most probably due to the ³LLCT stabilization. The predominant excited-state nature was switchable between the ³LLCT and ³LC states depending on the substituents employed; this was demonstrated through investigations of Ir3 and Ir4, bearing either the t-Bu or the CF₃ group, where the complexes exhibited properties intermediate between those of Ir2 and Ir5. All of the Ir(III) complexes were tested as photosensitizers in photocatalytic H₂ evolution over a Co molecular catalyst, and Ir5 outperformed the others, including Ir1, due to improvement in the following key properties: visible-light-absorption ability, excited-state lifetime, and reductive power of the one-electron-reduced species against the catalyst.

A broadband and strong visible-light-absorbing photosensitizer boosts hydrogen evolution

Developing broadband and strong visible-light-absorbing photosensitizer is highly desired for dramatically improving the utilization of solar energy and boosting artificial photosynthesis. Herein, we develop a facile strategy to co-sensitize Ir-complex with Coumarins and boron dipyrromethene to explore photosensitizer with a broadband covering ca. 50% visible light region (Ir-4). This type of photosensitizer is firstly introduced into water splitting system, exhibiting significantly enhanced performance with over 21 times higher than that of typical Ir(ppy)2(bpy)+, and the turnover number towards Ir-4 reaches to 115840, representing the most active sensitizer among reported molecular photocatalytic systems. Experimental and theoretical investigations reveal that the Ir-mediation not only achieves a long-lived boron dipyrromethene-localized triplet state, but also makes an efficient excitation energy transfer from Coumarin to boron dipyrromethene to trigger the electron transfer. These findings provide an insight for developing broadband and strong visible-light-absorbing multicomponent arrays on molecular level for efficient artificial photosynthesis.

Efficient Generation of Singlet Oxygen and Photooxidation of Sulfide into Sulfoxide via Tuning the Ancillary of Bicyclometalated Iridium(III) Complexes

With 2-phenylquinoline (pq) as a cyclometalated ligand, a series of cationic Ir(III) complexes [Ir(pq)₂(L1)₂](PF₆) (L1 is pyridine (1a), 4-methoxypyridine (1b), 4-dimethylaminopyridine (1c), and 4-acetylpyridine (1d)) and [Ir(pq)₂(L2)](PF₆) (L2 is 2,2'-bipyridine (1e), 2,2'-bipyrimidyl (1f), 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine (1g), and 4,4'-dimethoxy-2,2'-bipyridine (1h)) were synthesized and characterized. The influence of the metal-based highest occupied molecular orbital on triplet-state lifetime, triplet-state quantum yield, and ¹O₂ generation quantum yield as well as aerobic photo-oxidation of sulfide into sulfoxide was evaluated via tuning the ancillary ligand of Ir(pq)₂ complexes. The results revealed that 1h with chelate ancillary ligand bearing electron-donating group possesses a high ¹O₂ generation quantum yield (0.90) and photocatalytic activity for sulfide oxidation with high chemoselectivity and a low catalyst loading (0.5 mol %) under mild conditions. Moreover, one-pot two-step procedure for preparation of enantiopure sulfoxides, including aerobic photo-oxidation of sulfide using 1h as a photosensitizer and chiral resolution of sulfoxide via a chiral-at-metal strategy, was also developed.

Photofunctions of iridium(iii) complexes in vesicles: long-lived excited states and visible-light sensitization for hydrogen evolution in aqueous solution

Utilization of DPPC vesicles allows water-insoluble photoactive Ir(iii) complexes to be dispersed in bulk aqueous solution.

Tunable Rh2(II,II) Light Absorbers as Excited-State Electron Donors and Acceptors Accessible with Red/Near-Infrared Irradiation

A series of dirhodium(II,II) paddlewheeel complexes of the type cis-[Rh₂(μ-DTolF)₂(μ-L)₂][BF₄]₂, where DTolF = N,N'-di( p-tolyl)formamidinate and L = 1,8-naphthyridine (np), 2-(pyridin-2-yl)-1,8-naphthyridine (pynp), 2-(quinolin-2-yl)-1,8-naphthyridine (qnnp), and 2-(1,8-naphthyridin-2-yl)quinoxaline (qxnp), were synthesized and characterized. These molecules feature new tridentate ligands that concomitantly bridge the dirhodium core and cap the axial positions. The complexes absorb light strongly throughout the ultraviolet/visible range and into the near-infrared region and exhibit relatively long-lived triplet excited-state lifetimes. Both the singlet and triplet excited states exhibit metal/ligand-to-ligand charge transfer (ML-LCT) in nature as determined by transient absorption spectroscopy and spectroelectrochemistry measurements. When irradiated with low-energy light, these black dyes are capable of undergoing reversible bimolecular electron transfer both to the electron acceptor methyl viologen and from the electron donor p-phenylenediamine. Photoinduced charge transfer in the latter was inaccessible with previous Rh₂(II,II) complexes. These results underscore the fact that the excited state of this class of molecules can be readily tuned for electron-transfer reactions upon simple synthetic modification and highlight their potential as excellent candidates for p- and n-type semiconductor applications and for improved harvesting of low-energy light to drive useful photochemical reactions.

Bis(arylimidazole) Iridium Picolinate Emitters and Preferential Dipole Orientation in Films

The straightforward synthesis and photophysical properties of a new series of heteroleptic iridium(III) bis(2-arylimidazole) picolinate complexes are reported. Each complex has been characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance, UV-vis, cyclic voltammetry, and photoluminescent angle dependency, and the emissive properties of each are described. The preferred orientation of transition dipoles in emitter/host thin films indicated more preferred orientation than homoleptic complex Ir(ppy)₃.

Exploiting coumarin-6 as ancillary ligands in 1,10-phenanthroline Ir(iii) complexes: generating triplet photosensitisers with high upconversion capabilities

A series of new Ir(iii) complexes incorporating 3-(2-benzothiazolyl)-7-(diethylamino)coumarin (coumarin 6) and ethynylpyrene (EP) functionalised 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) were developed. [Ir(iii)(coumarin 6)₂(3-EP-phen)](PF₆) (Ir-3) proved to be the most promising material in triplet photosensitising applications. Highly absorbing at λ = 485 nm (ε = 1.31 × 10⁵ M^-1 cm^-1), it exhibits high upconversion and singlet oxygen quantum yields (Φ_UC = 27.5%, Φ_Δ = 81.5%) and an exemplary upconversion capability (η = 3.60 × 10⁶ M^-1 cm^-1).

An anionic iridium(iii) complex as a visible-light absorbing photosensitizer

A new anionic Ir(iii) photosensitizer bearing coumarin dyes has been developed and applied to the visible-light-driven hydrogen generation.

Multifunctional Cationic Iridium(III) Complexes Bearing 2-Aryloxazolo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline (N^N) Ligand: Synthesis, Crystal Structure, Photophysics, Mechanochromic/Vapochromic Effects, and Reverse Saturable Absorption

A series of 2-aryloxazolo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline ligands (N^N ligands) and their cationic iridium(III) complexes (1-11, aryl = 4-NO₂-phenyl (1), 4-Br-phenyl (2), Ph (3), 4-NPh₂-phenyl (4), 4-NH₂-phenyl (5), pyridin-4-yl (6), naphthalen-1-yl (7), naphthalen-2-yl (8), phenanthren-9-yl (9), anthracen-9-yl (10), and pyren-1-yl (11)) were synthesized and characterized. By introducing different electron-donating or electron-withdrawing substituents at the 4-position of the 2-phenyl ring (1-5), or different aromatic substituents with varied degrees of π-conjugation (6-11) on oxazolo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline ligand, we aim to understand the effects of terminal substituents at the N^N ligands on the photophysics of cationic Ir(III) complexes using both spectroscopic methods and quantum chemistry calculations. Complexes with the 4-R-phenyl substituents adopted an almost coplanar structure with the oxazolo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline motif, while the polycyclic aryl substituents (except for naphthalen-2-yl) were twisted away from the oxazolo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline motif. All complexes possessed strong absorption bands below 350 nm that emanated from the ligand-localized ¹π,π*/¹ILCT (intraligand charge transfer) transitions, mixed with ¹LLCT (ligand-to-ligand charge transfer)/¹MLCT (metal-to-ligand charge transfer) transitions. At the range of 350-570 nm, all complexes exhibited moderately strong ¹ILCT/¹LLCT/¹MLCT transitions at 350-450 nm, and broad but very weak ³LLCT/³MLCT absorption at 450-570 nm. Most of the complexes demonstrated moderate to strong room temperature phosphorescence both in solution and in the solid state. Among them, complex 7 also manifested a drastic mechanochromic and vapochromic luminescence effect. Except for complexes 1 and 4 that contain NO₂ or NPh₂ substituent at the phenyl ring, respectively, all other complexes exhibited moderate to strong triplet excited-state absorption in the spectral region of 440-750 nm. Moderate to very strong reverse saturable absorption (RSA) of these complexes appeared at 532 nm for 4.1 ns laser pulses. The RSA strength followed the trend of 7 > 11 > 9 > 3 > 2 ≈ 4 > 5 ≈ 10 ≈ 6 ≈ 8 > 1. The photophysical studies revealed that the different 2-aryl substituents on the oxazole ring impacted the singlet and triplet excited-state characteristics dramatically, which in turn notably influenced the RSA of these complexes.

Bis-cyclometalated iridium complexes with electronically modified aryl isocyanide ancillary ligands

Bis-cyclometalated iridium complexes with electronically modified aryl isocyanide ligands are described, and the effects on the photophysical properties are noted.