Cyclometalated Platinum Complexes with Luminescent Quantum Yields Approaching 100%

Chromic soft crystals based on luminescent platinum(II) complexes

Platinum(II) complexes of square-planar geometry are interesting from a crystal engineering viewpoint because they exhibit strong luminescence based on the self-assembly of molecular units. The luminescence color changes in response to gentle stimuli, such as vapor exposure or weak mechanical forces. Both the molecular and the crystal designs for soft crystals are critical to effectively generate the chromic luminescence phenomenon of Pt(II) complexes. In this topical review, strategies for fabricating chromic luminescent Pt(II) complexes are described from a crystal design perspective, focusing on the structural regulation of Pt(II) complexes that exhibit assembly-induced luminescence via metal-metal interactions and structural control of anionic Pt(II) complexes using cations. The research progress on the evolution of various chromic luminescence properties of Pt(II) complexes, including the studies conducted by our group, are presented here along with the latest research outcomes, and an overview of the frontiers and future potential of this research field is provided.

Blue Phosphorescent Pt(II) Compound Based on Tetradentate Carbazole/2,3'-Bipyridine Ligand and Its Application in Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

The tetradentate ligand, merging a carbazole unit with high triplet energy and dimethoxy bipyridine, renowned for its exceptional quantum efficiency in coordination with metals like Pt, is expected to demonstrate remarkable luminescent properties. However, instances of tetradentate ligands such as bipyridine-based pyridylcarbazole derivatives remain exceptionally scarce in the current literature. In this study, we developed a tetradentate ligand based on carbazole and 2,3'-bipyridine and successfully complexed it with Pt(II) ions. This novel compound (1) serves as a sky-blue phosphorescent material for use in light-emitting diodes. Based on single-crystal X-ray analysis, compound 1 has a distorted square-planar geometry with a 5/6/6 backbone around the Pt(II) core. Bright sky-blue emissions were observed at 488 and 516 nm with photoluminescent quantum yields of 34% and a luminescent lifetime of 2.6 μs. TD-DFT calculations for 1 revealed that the electronic transition was mostly attributed to the ligand-centered (LC) charge transfer transition with a small contribution from the metal-to-ligand charge transfer transition (MLCT, ~14%). A phosphorescent organic light-emitting device was successfully fabricated using this material as a dopant, along with 3'-di(9H-carbazol-9-yl)-1,1'-biphenyl (mCBP) and 9-(3'-carbazol-9-yl-5-cyano-biphenyl-3-yl)-9H-carbazole-3-carbonitrile (CNmCBPCN) as mixed hosts. A maximum quantum efficiency of 5.2% and a current efficiency of 15.5 cd/A were obtained at a doping level of 5%.

Cascading Energy Transfer for Highly Efficient Deep-Red OLED Emission with Cyclometalated [3+2+1] Iridium Complexes

The promising cyclometalated iridium (III) complexes have been proved to possess great potential in vacuum-deposited organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) applications for full-color displays and white solid-state lighting sources. Herein, based on the unique bidentate ligand of dibenzo[a,c]phenazine (dbpz) group with strong conjugated effect of aromatic rings for red emission, four novel [3+2+1] coordinated iridium (III) emissive materials have been rationally designed and synthesized. The monodentate ligands of -CN and -OCN have been effectively employed to tune the deep-red emission of 628-675 nm with high photoluminescence quantum yields up to 98%. Moreover, all devices displayed deep-red color coordinates ranging from (0.675, 0.325) to (0.716, 0.284), which is close to the standard-red color coordinates of (0.708, 0.292), as recommended by International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication (ITU-R) BT.2020. The device based on nBuIr(dbpz)CN with an exciplex cohost has exhibited maximum external quantum efficiencies of 20.7% and good stability. With nBuIr(dbpz)CN as an effective sensitizer, the nBuIr(dbpz)OCN based phosphorescent OLED devices have successfully demonstrated cascading energy transfer processes, contributing to pure red emission with maximum luminance as high as 6471 cd m-2. Therefore, this work has been successfully demonstrated rational molecular design strategy of [3+2+1] iridium complexes to obtain highly efficient deep-red electrophosphorescent emission.

Responsive macrocyclic and supramolecular structures powered by platinum

Humankind's manipulation of platinum dates back more than two millennia to burial objects. Since then, its use has evolved from purely decorative purposes in jewelry to more functional applications such as in catalysts, pharmaceuticals, and bioimaging agents. Platinum offers a range of properties arguably unmatched by any other metal, including electroactivity, photoluminescence, chromic behaviour, catalysis, redox reactivity, photoreactivity, and stimuli-controlled intermetallic interactions. The vast body of knowledge generated by the exploration of these and other properties of platinum has recently merged with other areas of chemistry such as supramolecular and host-guest chemistry. This has shown us that platinum can incorporate its responsive character into supramolecular assemblies (e.g., macrocycles and polymers) to produce materials with tailorable functions and responses. In this Perspective Article, we cover some platinum-powered supramolecular structures reported by us and others, hoping to inspire new and exciting discoveries in the field.

Synthesis, Structure, and Photophysical Properties of Platinum Compounds with Thiophene-Derived Cyclohexyl Diimine Ligands

Platinum(II) and platinum(IV) compounds were prepared by the stereoselective and regioselective reactions of thiophene-derived cyclohexyl diimine C^N^N-ligands with [Pt2Me4(μ-SMe2)2]. Newly synthesized ligands were characterized by NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis, and Pt(II)/Pt(IV) compounds were characterized by NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. UV-vis absorbance and photoluminescence measurements were performed on newly synthesized complexes, as well as structurally related Pt(II)/Pt(IV) compounds with benzene-derived cyclohexyl diimine ligands, in dichloromethane solution, as solids, and as 5% by weight PMMA-doped films. DFT and TD-DFT calculations were performed, and the results were compared with the observed spectroscopic properties of the newly synthesized complexes. X-ray total scattering measurements and real space pair distribution function analysis were performed on the synthesized complexes to examine the local- and intermediate-range atomic structures of the emissive solid states.

Circularly polarized luminescence of pinene-modified tetradentate platinum(II) enantiomers containing fused 5/6/6 metallocycles

In this study, a couple of tetradentate Pt(II) enantiomers ((−)-1 and (+)-1) and a couple of tetradentate Pt(IV) enantiomers ((−)-2 and (+)-2) containing fused 5/6/6 metallocycles have been synthesized by controlling reaction conditions. Two valence forms could transform into each other through mild chemical oxidants and reductants. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction confirms the structures of (−)-1 and (−)-2. The coordination sphere of the Pt(II) cation in (−)-1 displays a distorted square-planar geometry and a platinum centroid helix chirality. In contrast, the structure of (−)-2 reveals a distorted octahedral geometry. The solution and the solid of (−)-1 are highly luminescent. Complex (−)-1 shows a prominent aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) behavior in DMSO/water solution with emission quantum yield (Φ_em) up to 73.2%. Furthermore, highly phosphorescent Pt(II) enantiomers exhibit significant circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) with a dissymmetry factor (g_lum) of order 10⁻³ in CH₂Cl₂ solutions at room temperature. Symmetrically appreciable CPL signals are observed for the enantiomers (−)-1 and (+)-1.

Fused 6/5/6 Metallocycle-Based Tetradentate Pt(II) Emitters for Efficient Green Phosphorescent OLEDs

Pt(II) complexes are promising phosphorescent materials for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) applications in the fields of display, lighting, healthcare, aerospace, and so on. A series of novel biphenyl (bp)-based tetradentate 6/5/6 Pt(II) emitters using oxygen or carbon as a linking atom was designed and developed. The intermolecular interactions in crystal packing, electrochemical, and photophysical properties of the bp-based Pt(II) emitters and also their excited-state properties were systematically studied, which could be effectively regulated by ligand modification through linking group control; however, their emission spectra nearly showed no change. All the bp-based Pt(II) emitters exhibited vibronically featured emission spectra with dominant peaks at 502-505 nm and photoluminescent quantum yields of 24-34% in dichloromethane solution. Green OLED using Pt(bp-12) as an emitter achieved a maximum brightness (L_max) of 16,644 cd/m².

Metal Peptide Conjugates in Cell and Tissue Imaging and Biosensing

Metal complex luminophores have seen dramatic expansion in application as imaging probes over the past decade. This has been enabled by growing understanding of methods to promote their cell permeation and intracellular targeting. Amongst the successful approaches that have been applied in this regard is peptide-facilitated delivery. Cell-permeating or signal peptides can be readily conjugated to metal complex luminophores and have shown excellent response in carrying such cargo through the cell membrane. In this article, we describe the rationale behind applying metal complexes as probes and sensors in cell imaging and outline the advantages to be gained by applying peptides as the carrier for complex luminophores. We describe some of the progress that has been made in applying peptides in metal complex peptide-driven conjugates as a strategy for cell permeation and targeting of transition metal luminophores. Finally, we provide key examples of their application and outline areas for future progress.

Blue Phosphorescent Platinum(IV) Complex Bearing Bipyridine Ligand for Potential Application in Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs)

A cyclometalated Pt(IV) compound, Pt(dfpypy)2(Me)Cl (1), with blue phosphorescence was prepared using 2′,6′-difluoro-2,3′-bipyridine (dfpypy) as a C^N chelate ligand. Compound 1 exhibits distorted octahedral geometries around the platinum ion and has strong intermolecular interactions via interatomic contacts (H···N/F/Cl) involving hydrogen bond interactions based on Hirshfeld surface analysis. This compound shows bright blue phosphorescence emissions with λmax = 427 and 455 nm and a high photoluminescence quantum efficiency (PLQY, ΦPL= 0.60). Furthermore, good blue color purity with Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage (1931) coordinates (x, y) of (0.14, 0.17) was observed in the thin film which was close to pure blue. TD-DFT calculations revealed that the electronic transition can be attributed to a combination of intra-ligand charge transfer (ILCT, πbpy−π*bpy) and ligand to ligand charge transfer [LLCT, pz(Cl)−π*(dfpypy)] with a small contribution from metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT, Ptd−π*bpy). Owing to the introduction of the electronegative C^N chelate dfpypy, the emission of compound 1 was blue-shifted by 20 nm compared to its analog [Pt(ppy)2(Me)Cl] (λmax= 447), where ppy is 2-phenylpyridine.

Luminescent cyclometalated alkynylplatinum(II) complexes with 1,3-di(pyrimidin-2-yl)benzene ligands: synthesis, electrochemistry, photophysics and computational studies

In this article, we report on a series of cyclometalated chloro- and alkynyl-platinum(II) complexes bearing various tridentate N^C^N-cyclometalated ligands derived from 1,3-bis(pyrimidin-2-yl)benzene. The X-ray crystal structures of two alkynyl-platinum(II) complexes were determined and other structures were DFT-calculated. Electrochemical and DFT-computational studies suggest a ligand-centred reduction on the R¹-substituted N^C^N ligand, whereas oxidation likely occurs either on the Pt-phenylacetylide moiety and/or the cyclometalated ligand. In CH₂Cl₂ solution at room temperature, the complexes show phosphorescent emissions ranging from green to orange, depending on the R¹ and R² substituents on the ligands. In KBr solid state matrix, excluding complexes bearing a trifluoromethyl substituted ligand, all compounds exhibit red emission. The presence of an alkynyl ancillary ligand has limited influence on absorption and emission spectra except in the case of the complex with the strongly electron-donating diphenylamino R² substituent on the alkynyl ligand, for which a significant red-shift was observed. The alkynyl Pt(II) complex with OMe groups as both R¹ and R² substituents shows the best emission quantum yield (0.81 in CH₂Cl₂ solution) in this series. The full series of DFT calculated band gaps correlated generally well with the electrochemical and absorption data and reasonably model the impact of the substituents on the electronics of these complexes.

Dinuclear Pt(II) Complexes with Red and NIR Emission Governed by Ligand Control of the Intramolecular Pt-Pt Distance

Red and near-infrared (NIR) phosphorescent double-decker dinuclear Pt(II) complexes were synthesized, and their structural and spectroscopic properties were characterized. The Pt(II) complexes, which are composed of achiral ligands and are themselves chiral, were shown to exist as racemic mixtures using single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The Pt(II) complexes have different intramolecular Pt-Pt distances that are governed by the electronic characteristics of the component C^N ligands. Specifically, strengthening of π-back-donation between Pt(II) and N atom of the C^N ligand leads to shortening of the Pt-Pt distance. The results of both experimental and computational investigations show that the Pt-Pt distances in the dinuclear Pt(II) complexes significantly influence the band gap energies and corresponding emission wavelengths. Consequently, the uncovered C^N ligand based method to finely control intramolecular Pt-Pt distances in dinuclear Pt(II) complexes can be utilized as a guideline for the design of the double-decker dinuclear Pt(II) complexes with red and NIR tuned phosphorescence.

Photophysical Properties of Cyclometalated Platinum(II) Diphosphine Compounds in the Solid State and in PMMA Films

Platinum(II) compounds were synthesized with both chelate cyclometalated ligands and chelate diphosphine ligands. The cyclometalated ligands include phenylpyridine and a benzothiophene-containing ligand. The three new benzothiophene compounds were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS), and photophysical measurements. In the case of one compound, L1-DPPM, the structure was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The structural coherence of the noncrystalline emissive solid state was measured by X-ray total scattering real space pair distribution function analysis. Quantum yield values of all of the platinum compounds measured in the solid state and in PMMA films were much greater than in solution.

Non-palindromic (C^C^D) gold(III) pincer complexes are not accessible by intramolecular oxidative addition of biphenylenes - an experimental and quantum chemical study

We herein report on the synthesis of biphenylenes substituted with a pyridine (N), a phosphine (P) and a carbene (C') donor as well as a carbene donor with additional pyridine in the lateral position. We describe the synthesis and structures of derived gold(i) complexes, which we tried to use for the synthesis of non-palindromic [(C^C^D)AuIII] pincer complexes by means of an intramolecular oxidative addition of the strained biphenylene ring. However, the anticipated formation of gold(iii) complexes failed due to kinetic and thermodynamic reasons, which we extensively investigated by quantum chemical calculations. Furthermore, we shed light on the oxidative addition of biphenylene to two different gold(i) systems reported in the literature. Our comprehensive quantum-chemical analysis is complemented by NMR experiments.

Photochemical Oxidation of Pt(IV)Me3(1,2-diimine) Thiolates to Luminescent Pt(IV) Sulfinates

We report the formation of dinuclear complexes from, and photochemical oxidation of, (CH₃)₃-Pt(IV)(N^N) (N^N = 1,2-diimine derivatives) complexes of thiophenolate ligands to the analogous sulfinates (CH₃)₃Pt(N^N)(SO₂Ph) and structural, spectroscopic, and theoretical studies of the latter revealing tunable photophysics depending upon the 1,2-diimine ligands. Electron-rich thiolate and conjugated 1,2-diimines encourage formation of thiolate-bridged dinuclear complexes; smaller 1,2-diimines or electron-poor thiolates favor mononuclear complexes. Photooxidation of the thiolate ligand yields hitherto unreported Pt(IV)-SO₂R complexes, promoted by electron-deficient thiolates such as 4-nitrothiophenol, which exclusively forms the sulfinate complex. Such complexes exhibit expected absorptions due to π-π* ligand transitions of the 1,2-diimines mixed with spin-allowed singlet MLCT (d-π*) at relatively high energy (270-290 nm), as well as unexpected broad, lower energy absorptions between 360 and 490 nm. DFT data indicate that these low energy absorption bands result from excitation of Pt-S and Pt-C σ-bonding electrons to π* orbitals on sulfinate and 1,2-diimine, the latter of which gives rise to emission in the visible range.

Mechanochemical Solvent-Free Catalytic C-H Methylation

The mechanochemical, solvent-free, highly regioselective, rhodium-catalyzed C-H methylation of (hetero)arenes is reported. The reaction shows excellent functional-group compatibility and is demonstrated to work for the late-stage C-H methylation of biologically active compounds. The method requires no external heating and benefits from considerably shorter reaction times than previous solution-based C-H methylation protocols. Additionally, the mechanochemical approach is shown to enable the efficient synthesis of organometallic complexes that are difficult to generate conventionally.

Synthesis of New Donor-Substituted Biphenyls: Pre-ligands for Highly Luminescent (C^C^D) Gold(III) Pincer Complexes

We herein report on new synthetic strategies for the preparation of pyridine and imidazole substituted 2,2'-dihalo biphenyls. These structures are pre-ligands suitable for the preparation of respective stannoles. The latter can successfully be transmetalated to K[AuCl4 ] forming non-palindromic [(C^C^D)AuIII ] pincer complexes featuring a lateral pyridine (D=N) or N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC, D=C') donor. The latter is the first report on a pincer complex with two formally anionic sp2 and one carbenic carbon donor. The [(C^C^D)AuIII ] complexes show intense phosphorescence in solution at room temperature. We discuss the developed multistep strategy and touch upon synthetic challenges. The prepared complexes have been fully characterized including X-ray diffraction analysis. The gold(III) complexes' photophysical properties have been investigated by absorption and emission spectroscopy as well as quantum chemical calculations on the quasi-relativistic two-component TD-DFT and GW/Bethe-Salpeter level including spin-orbit coupling. Thus, we shed light on the electronic influence of the non-palindromic pincer ligand and reveal non-radiative relaxation pathways of the different ligands employed.

Synthetic access to a phosphorescent non-palindromic pincer complex of palladium by a double oxidative addition – comproportionation sequence

A highly phosphorescent non-palindromic (C^C^N) palladium complex may be prepared by means of a double oxidative addition – comproportionation sequence, which is a new approach for the synthesis of non-palindromic pincer complexes.

Isomeric Tetradentate Ligand-Containing Cyclometalated Gold(III) Complexes

A simple one-pot two bond-forming reaction for the rapid construction of cyclometalated gold(III) complexes with fully π-conjugated tetradentate ligand is reported. The coupling of the bifunctional gold(III) precursor with the bifunctional aromatic compound has led to the formation of two regioisomers with either C- or N-coordination. Through monitoring by high-throughput high performance liquid chromatography, the regioselectivity of the reaction has been effectively tuned toward the formation of a single isomer, allowing easy separation of the metal complexes. The structures of the complexes have been determined by X-ray crystallography, and the photophysical, electrochemical, and electroluminescence (EL) studies have been carried out. Computational study has been performed to provide insights into the nature of the excited states. Isomeric effect has been shown to have a significant influence on the EL behavior of the organic light-emitting devices.

Sky-Blue Triplet Emitters with Cyclometalated Imidazopyrazine-Based NHC-Ligands and Aromatic Bulky Acetylacetonates

Platinum(II) complexes with an N-heterocyclic carbene and a cyclometalating phenyl ligand (C^C*) are excellent candidates as efficient blue triplet emitters for OLED applications. The electronic and photophysical properties of these complexes can be fine-tuned with the objective to increase the quantum yields and lower the phosphorescence decay times. We found that platinum complexes with an imidazopyrazine C^C* ligand and bulky acetylacetonates are sky-blue triplet emitters, characterised by an almost unitary quantum yield and short phosphorescence decay times.

Platinum-Doped Dendritic Structure as a Phosphorescent Label for Bacteria in Two-Photon Excitation Microscopy

Herein, we present a water-soluble dendritric Pt(II) complex as a phosphorescent label for bacterial cells. The dendritic moiety endows the Pt(II) complex with unique properties such as water solubility, shielding from quenching by dioxygen, and binding to bacterial surfaces. The new biosensor was employed for two-photon excitation microscopy, and the binding was confirmed by electron microscopy, which demonstrates that such hybrid arrays can provide orthogonal yet complementary readouts.

Influence of different ancillary ligand on the phosphorescent properties of platinum(II) complexes

In past two decades, lots of bidentate Pt(II) complexes are developed as potential organic light emitting diodes due to their simple synthetic process. The relative low quantum efficiency is one of the major blocks for their applications. Two new heteroleptic Pt(II) complexes bearing an n-hexyloxy substituted phenyllepidine-based ligand and either a picolinate (pic) (1) or acetylacetonate (acac) (2) ancillary ligand are synthesized as orange-red-emitter by Wawrzinek and coauthors. The quantum efficiency of 2 is much larger than that of 1 indicating that the variation of ancillary ligand has a great effect on the performance. Inspired by it, other two new bidentate Pt(II) complexes are theoretically designed with the same primary ligand along with pyrazolone (pzl) (3) or N-substituted carbazole (NCaz) (4) ancillary ligand. The phosphorescent properties are explored by density functional theory (DFT) and time dependent DFT (TDDFT) methods with the ultimate goal to explore the influence of ancillary ligand. Moreover, the emission rule is confirmed. Finally, the quantum yield is estimated according to the radiative rate constant (k_r) and nonradiative rate constant (k_nr). The smaller k_nr is the vital item to determine the high quantum yield.

Probing Triplet Excited States and Managing Blue Light Emission of Neutral Tetradentate Platinum(II) Complexes

The structural and photophysical properties of tetradentate Pt(ppzOppz), Pt(ppzOpopy), Pt(ppzOczpy), and Pt(czpyOczpy) have been experimentally and theoretically explored. Single-crystal diffraction measurements provided accurate structural information. Electrochemical and photophysical characterizations revealed internal electronic energy levels in ground and excited states. (Time-dependent) Density functional theory calculation revealed electron distributions in transition processes of S₀ → S₁ and S₁ → T₁ → S₀. Electronic transition study indicated that Pt(ppzOppz) demonstrated mixed MLCT/LC states and Pt(czpyOczpy) showed MLCT-dominated states in S₁ and T₁. Both Pt(ppzOpopy) and Pt(ppzOczpy) presented strong delocalized spin transition (DST) during intersystem crossing. Upon frame modification of Pt(ppzOczpy), we found that their S₁ and T₁ can be independently manipulated. These blue emitters showed a tunable and narrow emission band (the narrowest fwhm was 19 nm) with luminescence efficiency as high as 86%. The findings of the DST transition mode in the neutral Pt(II) complexes provide guidance for rational design of novel phosphorescent materials.

Enhanced quantum yields by sterically demanding aryl-substituted β-diketonate ancillary ligands

Luminescent organometallic platinum(II) compounds are of interest as phosphors for organic light emitting devices. Their emissive properties can be tuned by variation of the ligands or by specific electron-withdrawing or electron-donating substituents. Different ancillary ligands can have a profound impact on the emission color and emission efficiency of these complexes. We studied the influence of sterically hindered, aryl-substituted β-diketonates on the emission properties of C^C* cyclometalated complexes, employing the unsubstituted methyl-phenyl-imidazolium ligand. The quantum yield was significantly enhanced by changing the auxiliary ligand from acetylacetonate, where the corresponding platinum(II) complex shows only a very weak emission, to mesityl (mes) or duryl (dur) substituted acetylacetonates. The new complexes show very efficient emission with quantum yields >70% in the sky-blue spectral region (480 nm) and short decay times (<3 μs).

Temperature dependence of photophysical properties of a dinuclear C^N-cyclometalated Pt(ii) complex with an intimate Pt–Pt contact. Zero-field splitting and sub-state decay rates of the lowest triplet

A dinuclear Pt(ii) complexes exhibits an unusually large zero field splitting in its metal–metal-to-ligand charge transfer triplet excited state.

Spectroscopy, electrochemistry and antiproliferative properties of Au(iii), Pt(ii) and Cu(ii) complexes bearing modified 2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine ligands

Impact of the metal centre and the substituent incorporated into a terpy framework.

Efficient and stable single-doped white OLEDs using a palladium-based phosphorescent excimer

A tetradentate Pd(ii) complex, Pd3O3, which exhibits highly efficient excimer emission is synthesized and characterized. Pd3O3 can achieve blue emission despite using phenyl-pyridine emissive ligands which have been a mainstay of stable green and red phosphorescent emitter designs, making Pd3O3 a good candidate for stable blue or white OLEDs. Pd3O3 exhibits strong and efficient phosphorescent excimer emission expanding the excimer based white OLEDs beyond the sole class of Pt complexes. Devices of Pd3O3 demonstrate peak external quantum efficiencies as high as 24.2% and power efficiencies of 67.9 Lm per W for warm white devices. Furthermore, Pd3O3 devices in a carefully designed stable structure achieved a device operational lifetime of nearly 3000 h at 1000 cd m-2 without any outcoupling enhancement while simultaneously achieving peak external quantum efficiencies of 27.3% and power efficiencies over 81 Lm per W.

Heteroleptic Cycloplatinated N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes: A New Approach to Highly Efficient Blue-Light Emitters

New heteroleptic compounds of platinum(II)-containing cyclometalated N-heterocyclic carbenes, [PtCl(R-C^C*)(PPh₃)] [R-CH^C*-κC* = 3-methyl-1-(naphthalen-2-yl)-1H-imidazol-2-ylidene (R-C = Naph; 1A), 1-[4-(ethoxycarbonyl)phenyl]-3-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-ylidene (R = CO₂Et; 1B), and [Pt(R-C^C*)(py)(PPh₃)]PF₆ (py = pyridine; R-C = Naph, 2A; R = CO₂Et, 2B], have been prepared and fully characterized. All of them were obtained as the trans-(C*,PPh₃) isomer in high yields. The selectivity of their synthesis has been explained in terms of the degree of transphobia (T) of pairs of ligands in trans positions. X-ray diffraction studies on both 2A and 2B revealed that only in 2A, containing a C^C* with a more extended π system, do the molecules assemble themselves into head-to-tail pairs through intermolecular π···π contacts. The photophysical properties of 2A and 2B and those of the related compounds [Pt(NC-C^C*)(PPh₃)L]PF₆ [NC-CH^C*-κC* = 1-(4-cyanophenyl)-3-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-ylidene; L = pyridine (py; 2C), 2,6-dimethylphenylisocyanide (CNXyl; 3C), and 2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole (MMI; 4C)] have been examined to analyze the influence of the R substituent on R-C^C* (R-C = Naph; R = CO₂Et, CN) and that of the ancillary ligands (L) on them. Experimental data and time-dependent density functional theory calculations showed the similarity of the electronic features associated with R-C^C* (R = CN, CO₂Et) and their difference with respect to R-C^C* (R-C = Naph). All of the compounds are very efficient blue emitters in poly(methyl methacrylate) films under an argon atmosphere, with QY values ranging from 68% (2B) to 93% (2C). In the solid state, the color of the emission changes to yellowish-orange for compounds 2A (λ_max = 600 nm) and 3C (λ_max = 590 nm) because of the formation of aggregates through intermolecular π···π interactions. 2C and 3C were chosen to fabricate fully solution-processed electroluminescent devices with blue-light (2C), yellow-orange-light (3C), and white-light (mixtures of 2C and 3C) emission from neat films of the compounds as emitting layers.

Phosphorescent Pt(II) and Pd(II) Complexes for Efficient, High-Color-Quality, and Stable OLEDs

Phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are leading candidates for next-generation displays and solid-state lighting technologies. Much of the academic and commercial pursuits in phosphorescent OLEDs have been dominated by Ir(III) complexes. Over the past decade recent developments have enabled square planar Pt(II) and Pd(II) complexes to meet or exceed the performance of Ir complexes in many aspects. In particular, the development of N-heterocyclic carbene-based emitters and tetradentate cyclometalated Pt and Pd complexes have significantly improved the emission efficiency and reduced their radiative lifetimes making them competitive with the best reported Ir complexes. Furthermore, their unique and diverse molecular design possibilities have enabled exciting photophysical attributes including narrower emission spectra, excimer -based white emission, and thermally activated delayed fluorescence. These developments have enabled the fabrication of efficient and "pure" blue OLEDs, single-doped white devices with EQEs of over 25% and high CRI, and device operational lifetimes which show early promise that square planar metal complexes can be stable enough for commercialization. These accomplishments have brought Pt complexes to the forefront of academic research. The molecular design strategies, photophysical characteristics, and device performance resulting from the major advancements in emissive Pt and Pd square planar complexes are discussed.