Phosphorescent Molecules That Resist Concentration Quenching in the Solution State: Concentration-Driven Emission...

In this paper, we describe the first phosphorescent molecules that do not exhibit the concentration quenching in the homogeneous solution state throughout the entire range of concentrations. A series of newly designed polymethylene-vaulted trans-bis[2-(iminomethyl)imidazolato]platinum(II) complexes (1a, n = 10; 1b, n = 12; 1c, n = 14) was prepared by treating [PtCl₂(CH₃CN)₂] with the corresponding N,N'-bis[(1H-imidazol-2-yl)methylene]-1,ω-alkanediamines. The trans coordination and vaulted structures of 1 have been unequivocally established from X-ray diffraction studies. When the concentration of a clear homogeneous solution of 1a-c in organic solvents increases from the diluted to the saturated state, the emission intensity and quantum efficiency increase continuously without concentration quenching at ambient temperature. This is in contrast to the emission profiles of other analogues 2-4 and typical AIEgens, which show ordinary concentration quenching under the same measurement conditions. The present concentration-driven emission enhancement is observed more intensely in a solution of a racemic mixture of 1 in comparison to that of the optically pure solution. Kinetic studies, ¹H NMR, XRD analyses, and DFT calculations revealed that this specifically intense emission enhancement of 1 is attributed to an increase in the contribution of a ³MMLCT to ¹GS transition, which is caused by the specific ability for the formation of a cofacial association dimer of 1.