Matthew T. Whited

A codeposition route to CuI-pyridine coordination complexes for organic light-emitting diodes.

We demonstrate a new approach for utilizing CuI coordination complexes as emissive layers in organic light-emitting diodes that involves in situ codeposition of CuI and 3,5-bis(carbazol-9-yl)pyridine (mCPy). With a simple three-layer device structure, pure green electroluminescence at 530 nm from a Cu(I) complex was observed. A maximum luminance and external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 9700 cd/m(2) and 4.4%, respectively, were achieved. The luminescent species was identified as [CuI(mCPy)(2)](2) on the basis of photophysical studies of model complexes and X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

Efficient Singlet Fission Discovered in a Disordered Acene Film

Singlet exciton fission is a process that occurs in select organic semiconductors and entails the splitting of a singlet excited state into two lower triplet excitons located on adjacent chromophores. Research examining this phenomenon has recently seen a renaissance due to the potential to exploit singlet fission within the context of organic photovoltaics to prepare devices with the ability to circumvent the Shockley-Queisser limit. To date, high singlet fission yields have only been reported for crystalline or polycrystalline materials, suggesting that molecular disorder inhibits singlet fission. Here, we report the results of ultrafast transient absorption and time-resolved emission experiments performed on 5,12-diphenyl tetracene (DPT). Unlike tetracene, which tends to form polycrystalline films when vapor deposited, DPTs pendant phenyl groups frustrate crystal growth, yielding amorphous films. Despite the high level of disorder in these films, we find that DPT exhibits a surprisingly high singlet fission yield, with 1.22 triplets being created per excited singlet. This triplet production occurs over two principal time scales, with ~50% of the triplets appearing within 1 ps after photoexcitation followed by a slower phase of triplet growth over a few hundred picoseconds. To fit these kinetics, we have developed a model that assumes that due to molecular disorder, only a subset of DPT dimer pairs adopt configurations that promote fission. Singlet excitons directly excited at these sites can undergo fission rapidly, while singlet excitons created elsewhere in the film must diffuse to these sites to fission.

Singlet and Triplet Excitation Management in a Bichromophoric Near-Infrared-Phosphorescent BODIPY-Benzoporphyrin Platinum Complex

Multichromophoric arrays provide one strategy for assembling molecules with intense absorptions across the visible spectrum but are generally focused on systems that efficiently produce and manipulate singlet excitations and therefore are burdened by the restrictions of (a) unidirectional energy transfer and (b) limited tunability of the lowest molecular excited state. In contrast, we present here a multichromophoric array based on four boron dipyrrins (BODIPY) bound to a platinum benzoporphyrin scaffold that exhibits intense panchromatic absorption and efficiently generates triplets. The spectral complementarity of the BODIPY and porphryin units allows the direct observation of fast bidirectional singlet and triplet energy transfer processes (k(ST)((1)BDP→(1)Por) = 7.8 × 10(11) s(-1), k(TT)((3)Por→(3)BDP) = 1.0 × 10(10) s(-1), k(TT)((3)BDP→(3)Por) = 1.6 × 10(10) s(-1)), leading to a long-lived equilibrated [(3)BDP][Por]⇌[BDP][(3)Por] state. This equilibrated state contains approximately isoenergetic porphyrin and BODIPY triplets and exhibits efficient near-infrared phosphorescence (λ(em) = 772 nm, Φ = 0.26). Taken together, these studies show that appropriately designed triplet-utilizing arrays may overcome fundamental limitations typically associated with core-shell chromophores by tunable redistribution of energy from the core back onto the antennae.

Efficient dipyrrin-centered phosphorescence at room temperature from bis-cyclometalated iridium(III) dipyrrinato complexes.

A series of seven dipyrrin-based bis-cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes have been synthesized and characterized. All complexes display a single, irreversible oxidation wave and at least one reversible reduction wave. The electrochemical properties were found to be dominated by dipyrrin centered processes. The complexes were found to display room temperature luminescence with emission maxima ranging from 658 to 685 nm. Through systematic variation of the cyclometalating ligand and the meso substituent of the dipyrrin moiety, it was found that the observed room temperature emission was due to phosphorescence from a dipyrrin-centered triplet state with quantum efficiencies up to 11.5%. Bis-cyclometalated Ir(III) dipyrrin based organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) display emission at 682 nm with maximum external quantum efficiencies up to 1.0%.

Oxygen-Atom Transfer from Carbon Dioxide to a Fischer Carbene at (PNP)Ir

Dehydrogenation of the dihydride (PNP)IrH2 with norbornylene in the presence of t-butyl methyl ether leads to formation of an iridium(I) Fischer carbene complex, (PNP)Ir C(H)OtBu, by double C-H activation and loss of H2. The square planar pincer-type carbene effects quantitative oxygen-atom transfer from CO2 (1 atm) at ambient temperature to generate t-butyl formate and (PNP)Ir-CO. The iridium carbene reacts similarly with carbonyl sulfide and phenyl isocyanate, causing sulfur-atom and nitrene-group transfer, respectively. In the absence of a hydrogen acceptor, thermolysis of (PNP)IrH2 in t-butyl methyl ether under an atmosphere of CO2 also results in the formation of (PNP)Ir-CO and oxidation of t-butyl methyl ether to t-butyl formate via an iridium carbene. Preliminary mechanistic studies indicate that these reactions proceed through an intermediate four-membered metallalactone.

A Catalytic Cycle for Oxidation of tert-Butyl Methyl Ether by a Double C−H Activation-Group Transfer Process

A square-planar, iridium(I) carbene complex is shown to effect atom and group transfer from nitrous oxide and organic azides, releasing the corresponding formate or formimidate and an iridium(I)−dinitrogen adduct. The dinitrogen complex performs C−H activation upon photolysis or thermolysis, regenerating the carbene from tert-butyl methyl ether with loss of H2. Taken together, these reactions represent a net catalytic cycle for C−H functionalization by double C−H activation to generate metal−carbon multiple bonds. Additionally, the unusual group transfer from diazo reagents underscores the unique nature of the reactivity observed for nucleophilic-at-metal carbene complexes.

Substituted 1,3-bis(imino)isoindole diols: a new class of proton transfer dyes.

A new class of excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) dyes based on a 1,3-bis(imino)isoindole diol motif has been prepared. These molecules exhibit orange emission (∼600 nm) with a large apparent Stokes shift (>6000 cm(-1)) and quantum efficiencies up to 45%. Selective modification of the substituents can be used to shift the equilibrium between the enol and keto forms of the molecule in both the ground and excited states.

trans-Acetyl­dicarbon­yl(η5-cyclo­penta­dien­yl)(methyl­diphenyl­phosphane)molybdenum(II)

The title compound, [Mo(C5H5)(C2H3O)(C13H13P)(CO)2], was prepared by reaction of [Mo(CH3)(C5H5)(CO)3] with methyldiphenylphosphane. The MoII atom exhibits a four-legged piano-stool coordination geometry with the acetyl and phosphane ligands trans to each other. There are several intermolecular C—H⋯O hydrogen-bonding interactions involving carbonyl and acetyl O atoms as acceptors. A close nearly parallel π–π interaction between the cyclopentadienyl plane and the phenyl ring of the phosphane ligand is present, with an angle of 6.4 (1)° between the two least-squares planes. The centroid-to-centroid distance between these groups is 3.772 (3) Å, and the closest distance between two atoms of these groups is 3.449 (4) Å. Since each Mo complex is engaged in two of these interactions, the complexes form an infinite π-stack coincident with the a axis.

trans-Acetyl­dicarbon­yl(η5-cyclo­penta­dien­yl)[tris­(furan-2-yl)phosphane-κP]molybdenum(II)

The title compound, [Mo(C5H5)(C2H3O)(C12H9O3P)(CO)2], was prepared by reaction of [Mo(C5H5)(CO)3(CH3)] with tris(furan-2-yl)phosphane. The MoII atom exhibits a four-legged piano-stool coordination geometry with the acetyl and phosphine ligands trans to each other. The O atom of the acetyl ligand points down, away from the Cp ring. In the crystal, molecules form centrosymmetrical dimers via π–π interactions between furyl rings [the centroid–centroid distance is 3.396 (4) Å]. The dimers are linked by C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds into layers parallel to (100).

Crystal structures of trans-acetyl-dicarbon-yl(η(5)-cyclo-penta-dien-yl)(di-methyl-phenyl-phosphane)molybdenum(II) and trans-acetyl-dicarbon-yl(η(5)-cyclo-penta-dien-yl)(ethyl-diphenyl-phosphane)molybdenum(II).

The crystal structures of the title compounds are compared, showing molecular parameters that reflect the relative steric pressure of their respective phosphine ligands. Their supramolecular properties are distinct but in both cases are organized around short C—H⋯O contacts involving the acetyl ligands.