Using Room Temperature Phosphorescence of Gold(I) Complexes for PAHs Sensing

Area of Science:

• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Photochemistry

Background:

• Development of novel luminescent materials for molecular recognition.
• Exploration of heavy atom effects in phosphorescent complexes.
• Application of napthalimide derivatives in host-guest chemistry.

Purpose of the Study:

• Synthesize and characterize novel phosphane-gold(I)-napthalimide complexes.
• Investigate the room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) properties of these complexes.
• Evaluate their potential as hosts for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) recognition.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and characterization of phosphane-gold(I)-napthalimide complexes.
• Photophysical studies to determine luminescent properties and RTP.
• Emission titration experiments to study host:guest interactions with PAHs.
• Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations to support experimental findings.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis and characterization of two new phosphane-gold(I)-napthalimide complexes.
• Observation of room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) attributed to the gold(I) heavy atom effect.
• Demonstrated molecular recognition capabilities for PAHs, with stronger affinity for larger aromatic systems like anthracene and pyrene.
• DFT calculations corroborated the experimental observations regarding host:guest interactions.

Conclusions:

• The synthesized phosphane-gold(I)-napthalimide complexes are promising luminescent materials.
• These complexes exhibit efficient RTP, making them suitable for sensing applications.
• The planar chromophore and emissive properties facilitate molecular recognition of PAHs, particularly those with extended aromaticity.
• The study highlights the potential of gold(I) complexes in developing advanced host materials for selective guest binding.