New AIE-active dinuclear Ir(III) complexes with reversible piezochromic phosphorescence behaviour

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Photochemistry
• Coordination Chemistry

Background:

• Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) is a phenomenon where luminogens are non-emissive when dissolved but become highly emissive when aggregated.
• Schiff base ligands are versatile building blocks in coordination chemistry, known for forming stable metal complexes.
• Iridium(III) complexes are widely studied for their photoluminescent properties, including phosphorescence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel dinuclear iridium(III) Schiff base complexes.
• To investigate the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties of these complexes.
• To explore their potential application in rewritable data storage devices based on piezochromic phosphorescence.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of dinuclear iridium(III) Schiff base complexes.
• Spectroscopic characterization (UV-Vis absorption, emission spectroscopy).
• Piezoluminescence measurements under varying pressure conditions.
• Morphological analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Main Results:

• Two new dinuclear iridium(III) Schiff base complexes were successfully synthesized.
• The complexes exhibit strong AIE characteristics and highly reversible piezochromic phosphorescence.
• Pressure-induced emission color changes were observed and correlated with structural transformations.
• Demonstrated the potential for constructing a rewritable phosphorescence data recording device.

Conclusions:

• The developed iridium(III) complexes possess excellent piezochromic phosphorescence properties driven by AIE.
• These materials are promising candidates for developing advanced optical data storage technologies.
• The reversible nature of the piezochromism allows for rewritable data recording capabilities.