Analyzing the Relation between Structure and Aggregation Induced Emission (AIE) Properties of Iridium(III) Complexes through Modification of Non-Chromophoric Ancillary Ligands

Abstract

© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Unconventionally modified dibenzoylmethane (dbm) ligands have been synthesized and successfully utilized as ancillary ligands for neutral iridium(III) complexes of the formula [Ir(dFppy)2(LX)], where dFppyH is 2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)pyridine and LX is tribenzoylmethane (tbm) or 1-phenyl-3-(4-(pyridin-2-yl)phenyl)propane-1,3-dione (pydbm). The modification of the ligands aims to prevent or enhance possible intermolecular interactions between the dFppy and/or the LX moiety in comparison with the previously reported [Ir(dFppy)2(dbm)] complex. The aggregation induced emission (AIE) properties of these complexes are significantly modulated, as a consequence of the different p–p interactions revealed by X-ray crystallography.