Insights into mechanistic interpretation of crystalline-state reddish phosphorescence of non-planar π-conjugated organoboron compounds

Abstract

Metal-free room-temperature phosphorescent (RTP) materials are attracting attention in such applications as organic light-emitting diodes and bioimaging. However, the chemical structures of RTP materials reported thus far are mostly predominantly based on π-conjugated systems incorporating heavy atoms such as bromine atoms or carbonyl groups, resulting in limited structural diversity. On the other hand, triarylboranes are known for their strong Lewis acidity and deep LUMO energy levels, but few studies have reported on their RTP properties. In this study, we discovered that compounds based on a tetracyclic structure containing boron, referred to as benzo[d]dithieno[b,f]borepins, exhibit strong solid-state reddish phosphorescence even in air. Quantum chemical calculations, including those for model compounds, revealed that the loss of planarity of the tetracyclic structure increases spin-orbit coupling matrix elements, thereby accelerating the intersystem crossing process. Moreover, single-crystal X-ray structural analysis and natural energy decomposition analysis suggested that the borepin compounds without bromine or oxygen atoms, unlike typical RTP materials, exhibit red-shifted phosphorescence in the crystalline state owing to structural relaxation in the T1 state. Additionally, the borepin compounds showed potential application as bioimaging dyes.

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
20 Feb 2024
Accepted
20 Apr 2024
First published
25 Apr 2024
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2024, Accepted Manuscript

Insights into mechanistic interpretation of crystalline-state reddish phosphorescence of non-planar π-conjugated organoboron compounds

Y. Adachi, M. Kurihara, K. Yamada, F. Arai, Y. Hattori, K. Yamana, R. Kawasaki and J. Ohshita, Chem. Sci., 2024, Accepted Manuscript , DOI: 10.1039/D4SC01184H

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