Platinum complexes with aggregation-induced emission

Transition metal-containing materials with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) have brought new opportunities for the development of biological probes, optoelectronic materials, stimuli-responsive materials, sensors, and detectors. Coordination compounds containing the platinum metal have emerged as a promising option for constructing effective AIE platinum complexes. In this review, we classified AIE platinum complexes based on the number of ligands. We focused on the development and performance of AIE platinum complexes with different numbers of ligands and discussed the impact of platinum ion coordination and ligand structure variation on the optoelectronic properties. Furthermore, this review analyzes and summarizes the influence of molecular geometries, stacking models, and aggregation environments on the optoelectronic performance of these complexes. We provided a comprehensive overview of the AIE mechanisms exhibited by various AIE platinum complexes. Based on the unique properties of AIE platinum complexes with different numbers of ligands, we systematically summarized their applications in electronics, biological fields, etc. Finally, we illustrated the challenges and opportunities for future research on AIE platinum complexes, aiming at giving a comprehensive summary and outlook on the latest developments of functional AIE platinum complexes and also encouraging more researchers to contribute to this promising field.

Synthesis of platinum(II)-complex end-tethered polymers: spectroscopic properties and nanostructured particles

Although metal-containing polymers have been widely studied as a novel class of functional soft materials, the microphase separation between polymeric segments and metal-ligand complexes has been less addressed, which is critical to control their structures and functions. To do this, short-chain polystyrenes (PSs) have been end-functionalized with nanosized square-planar platinum(II) complexes. The platinum(II)-comprising polymers were found to show significant luminescence enhancement in chloroform/methanol solvent mixtures upon increasing the methanol composition. By modulating both the PS length and solvent quality, various self-assembled morphologies formed controllably in the mixed solvents and typical examples include nanofibers, nanoellipsoids, and nanospheres. More interestingly, the inside structures of these polymer particles are shown to be lamellar with sub-10 nm spacings, wherein the PS blocks are alternatively aligned with the platinum(II) units. Such a luminescence enhancement and hierarchical nanostructured particles originate from a subtle combination of directional Pt(II)⋯Pt(II) and/or π-π stacking interactions between the platinum(II) units and the solvophobic effect between the PS blocks. This work suggests that by microphase separating polymer chains with nanosized metal-ligand complexes, metal-containing polymers can self-assemble to form sub-10 nm scale nanostructures showcasing desired properties and functions.

Synthesis and hierarchical self-assembly of luminescent platinum(ii)-containing telechelic metallopolymers

Luminescent telechelic metallopolymers functionalized with platinum(ii) complexes can self-assemble into flowerlike micelles, and the resulting flowers can further form vesicle-like architectures in solution.

Platinum(II) Probes for Sensing Polyelectrolyte Lengths and Architectures

Platinum(II) polypyridine complexes of a square-planar geometry have been used as spectroscopic reporters for quantification of various charged species through non-covalent metal-metal interactions. The characterization of molecular weights and architectures of polyelectrolytes represents a challenging task in polymer science. Here, we report the utilization of platinum(II) complex probes and non-covalent metal-metal interactions for sensing polyelectrolyte lengths and architectures. It is found that the platinum(II) probes can bind to linear polyelectrolytes via electrostatic attractions and give rise to significant spectroscopic changes associated with the formation of metal-metal interactions, and the extent of the spectroscopic changes is found to increase with the lengths of the linear polyelectrolytes. Besides, the platinum(II) probes have been found to co-assemble with the linear polyelectrolytes to form well-defined nanofibers, and the lengths of the linear polyelectrolytes can be directly estimated from the diameter of the nanofibers under transmission electron microscopy observation. Interestingly, upon mixing with the platinum(II) probes, polyelectrolytes with bottlebrush architectures have been found to exhibit larger spectroscopic changes than linear polyelectrolytes with the same chemical composition. Combined with the reported theoretical studies on counterion condensation of polyelectrolytes, the platinum(II) complexes are found to function as spectroscopic probes for sensing the charge densities of the polyelectrolytes with different lengths and diverse architectures. Moreover, platinum(II) probes pre-organized in nanostructured aggregates have been found to intercalate into double-stranded DNA, which are naturally occurring biological polyelectrolytes with helical architectures and intercalation sites, to give significant enhancement of spectroscopic changes when compared to the intercalation of monomeric platinum(II) probes into double-stranded DNA.

Blue-emitting bolaamphiphilic zwitterionic iridium(iii) complex

Aggregation induced emission is a very interesting phenomenon that recently has attracted a lot of interest. Most of the examples deal with organic molecules or flat metal complexes. Here we demonstrate that, by design, even iridium compounds can display this process without shifting the emission energy. In order to enhance the aggregation properties we have focussed on amphiphilic complexes. We report the synthesis and photophysical characterisation of a blue-emitting bolaamphiphilic zwitterionic Ir(iii) complex and an analogous cationic amphiphilic compound, used as a reference. The bolaamphiphile exhibited blue (λmax = 450 nm) emission in dilute, deaerated solution with a photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 22%, similar to the related cationic amphiphilic complex. The bolaamphiphile displayed significant emission enhancement in the solid state, with an emission quantum yield that reach 52%. Interestingly, the emission of the cationic analogue suffers from aggregation quenching in the solid state, (PLQY = 3%) as is common for these type of complexes. A correlation between the photophysical data and the arrangement in the solid state is discussed.

Telechelic amphiphilic metallopolymers end-functionalized with platinum(ii) complexes: synthesis, luminescence enhancement, and their self-assembly into flowerlike vesicles and giant flowerlike vesicles

Telechelic amphiphilic metallopolymers can self-assemble in solution to create nanosized flowerlike vesicles, where the two platinum(ii) complex ends are connected to the same vesicular core and the central PEG chains form loops as a corona.

Synthesis of platinum(ii) complex end functionalized star polymers: luminescence enhancements and unimolecular micelles in solvents of weakened quality

Platinum(ii) complex end functionalized star polymers have been synthesized by reacting K₂PtCl₄ with star ligands ended with 2,6-bis(benzimidazol-2′-yl)pyridine. They show luminescence enhancements and form unimolecular micelles in solvents of weakened quality.

Efficient CO2 capture by metallo-supramolecular polymers as fillers to fabricate a polymeric blend membrane

Novel fillers based on metallo-supramolecular polymers were incorporated into PEBA2533 to obtain blend membranes, showing excellent CO₂ permeability and CO₂/N₂ selectivity.

Supramolecular assembly of metal-ligand chromophores for sensing and phosphorescent OLED applications

The exploration of phosphorescent materials based on transition metal-ligand chromophoric complexes represents an important area of research in molecular materials. The knowledge and fundamental understanding of their photophysical properties offer a possible fine-tuning of their electronic absorption and luminescence properties. The strong propensity of d(8) transition metal compounds to form non-covalent metal···metal interactions facilitates supramolecular assembly and the formation of supramolecular nanostructures with interesting photophysical properties. The introduction of supramolecular assembly with hierarchical complexity involving non-covalent interactions could lead to research dimensions of unlimited possibilities and opportunities. This article briefly summarizes the latest progress on the use of d(8) metal-ligand chromophores as chemosensors, as exemplified by alkynylplatinum(II) complexes with emphasis on supramolecular assembly involving non-covalent interactions, and the recent advances in the utilization of d(8) metal-ligand phosphors, as exemplified by alkynylgold(III) system, for the exploration and development of phosphorescent OLEDs.

Photofunctional organometallics—from fundamentals to design, assembly and functions

A number of soluble platinum(II) and gold(I) complexes have been designed and synthesized. Their luminescence and photophysical behavior have been studied. Their assembly properties, which were governed by the noncovalent metal–metal interactions, have also been investigated with the introduction of various external stimuli. The UV–vis and emission spectral changes of these complexes, which arose from the modulation of their assembly and disassembly behavior, have demonstrated the establishment of a convenient and sensitive detection strategy for various types of analytes. These studies suggested the potential applications of these metal complexes as detection probes for a diverse range of target substrates.