The photophysics of fac-[Re(CO)3(NN)(bpa)](+) complexes: a theoretical/experimental study

The influence of the polypyridyl ligand on the photophysics of fac-[Re(CO)3(NN)(bpa)](+), bpa = 1,2-bis-(4-pyridyl)ethane and NN = 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), pyrazino[2,3-f][1,10]-phenanthroline (dpq), and dipyrido[3,2-a:2'3'-c]phenazine (dppz) has been investigated by steady state and time-resolved emission spectroscopy combined with theoretical calculations using time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT). The fac-[Re(CO)3(phen)(bpa)](+) is a typical MLCT emitter in acetonitrile with ϕ = 0.11 and τ = 970 ns. The emission lifetime and quantum yield decrease significantly in fac-[Re(CO)3(dpq)(bpa)](+) (ϕ = 0.05; τ = 375 ns) due to the presence of a close lying dark charge transfer state located at the pyrazine ring of dpq, as indicated by TD-DFT data. The luminescence of these complexes is quenched by hydroquinone with kq = (2.9 ± 0.1) × 10(9) and (2.6 ± 0.1) × 10(9) L mol(-1) s(-1), respectively, for NN = phen or dpq. These values are increased respectively to (4.6 ± 0.1) × 10(9) and (4.2 ± 0.1) × 10(9) L mol(-1) s(-1) in the 1 : 1 H2O-CH3CN mixture. In this medium Stern-Volmer constants determined by steady-state and time-resolved measurements differ from each other, which is indicative of static quenching, i.e. the pre-association of hydroquinone and the complexes through hydrogen bonding between the remote N-atom in the bpa ligand (KA ≅ 1-2 × 10(1) L mol(-1)), followed by a concerted proton-electron transfer. In contrast to other investigated complexes, fac-[Re(CO)3(dppz)(bpa)](+) is weakly emissive in acetonitrile at room temperature (ϕ ≅ 10(-4)) and does not exhibit a rigidochromic effect. This photophysical behaviour as well as TD-DFT data indicate that the lowest lying triplet excited state can be described as (3)ILdppz. The results provide additional insight into the influence of the polypyridyl ligand on the photophysical properties of Re(I) complexes.