Gold()-doped films: new routes for efficient room temperature phosphorescent materials

• Published in: Dalton transactions : an international journal of inorganic chemistry Vol. 5; no. 11; pp. 386 - 3815
• Main Authors: de Aquino, Araceli, Caparrós, Francisco J, Truong, Khai-Nghi, Rissanen, Kari, Ferrer, Montserrat, Jung, Yongsik, Choi, Hyeonho, Lima, João Carlos, Rodríguez, Laura
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Royal Society of Chemistry 21.03.2021
• Subjects: Acetylene; Chromophores; Crystal structure; Crystallography; Doped films; Emission; Fluorescence; Gold; Phenanthrene; Phosphorescence; Room temperature
• ISSN: 1477-9226; 1477-9234
• DOI: 10.1039/d1dt00087j

The synthesis of four novel gold( i )-phosphane complexes coordinated to 9-phenanthrene chromophore has been carried out through the reaction of 9-phenanthreneboronic acid and the corresponding AuClPR 3 (PR 3 = PPh 3 for triphenylphosphane ( 1a ); 1,4-bis(diphenylphosphanyl)butane or dppb ( 2b ); bis(diphenylphosphanyl)acetylene or dppa ( 2c ); (AuCl) 2 (diphos) (diphos = bis(diphenylphosphanyl)methane or dppm ( 3 )) sources. The X-ray crystal structures of compounds 1a and 2b show the existence of MOF-like intermolecular assemblies that contain empty inner cavities in the absence of aurophilic contacts. In contrast, the formation of a tetranuclear complex with intramolecular aurophilic interactions was evidenced for 3 . Photophysical characterization indicates dual emission in all gold( i ) complexes when oxygen is removed from the sample, while only fluorescence emission is recorded for the uncoordinated ligand. The introduction of the compounds within PMMA and Zeonex was assayed, and luminescent films containing gold( i ) complexes where phosphorescence is the sole pathway for emission are obtained, instead of the dual emission (with significant fluorescence contribution) recorded in solution. The synthesis of four novel gold( i )-phosphane complexes coordinated to 9-phenanthrene has been carried out and their inclusion within organic matrixes showed the formation of new pure room temperature phosphorescence materials.