Design Strategies for Luminescent Titanocenes: Improving the Photoluminescence and Photostability of Arylethynyltitanocenes
ACS Citation
Barker, M.; Whittemore, T. J.; London, H. C.; Sledesky, J. M.; Harris, E. A.; Smith Pellizzeri, T. M.; McMillen, C. D.; Wagenknecht, P. S. Design Strategies for Luminescent Titanocenes: Improving the Photoluminescence and Photostability of Arylethynyltitanocenes. Inorg. Chem. 2023, 62, 17870 - 17882.
Version of Record
Abstract
Complexes that undergo ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) to d0 metals are of interest as possible photocatalysts. Cp2Ti(C2Ph)2 (where C2Ph = phenylethynyl) was reported to be weakly emissive in room-temperature (RT) fluid solution from its phenylethynyl-to-Ti 3LMCT state but readily photodecomposes. Coordination of CuX between the alkyne ligands to give Cp2Ti(C2Ph)2CuX (X = Cl, Br) has been shown to significantly increase the photostability, but such complexes are not emissive in RT solution. Herein, we investigate whether inhibition of alkyne-Ti-alkyne bond compression might be responsible for the increased photostability of the CuX complexes by investigating the decomposition of a structurally constrained analogue, Cp2Ti(OBET) (OBET = o-bis(ethynyl)tolane). To investigate the mechanism of nonradiative decay from the 3LMCT states in Cp2Ti(C2Ph)2CuX, the photophysical properties were investigated both upon deuteration and upon rigidifying in a poly(methyl methacrylate) film. These investigations suggested that inhibition of structural rearrangement may play a dominant role in increasing emission lifetimes and quantum yields. The bulkier Cp*2Ti(C2Ph)2CuBr was prepared and is emissive at 693 nm in RT THF solution with a photoluminescent quantum yield of 1.3 × 10–3 (τ = 0.18 μs). Time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations suggest that emission occurs from a 3LMCT state dominated by Cp*-to-Ti charge transfer.
Source Name
Inorganic Chemistry
Publication Date
10-13-2023
Volume
62
Page(s)
17870 - 17882
Document Type
Citation
Citation Type
Article