Cationic Iridium Dendrimers: Synthesis and Photophysical Properties

Two dendrimers, D1 and D2, containing the cationic iridium complexes (C1 and C2) as cores and truxene-functionalized chromophores as the branches, have been developed by a convergent synthetic strategy. The cationic complexes employ 3-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole and 2-(pyridin-2-yl)-benzimidazole derivatives as the ancillary ligands. To avoid the change in emission colour arising from the iridium complex, the conjugation between the dendron and the ligand is decoupled by separating them using the alkyl chain. An investigation of their photoluminescent features reveals that efficient energy transfer happens from the dendrons to the core in the solid state. Likewise, the charged dendritic structure is demonstrated to be an efficient method to improve the compatibility between the polar charged iridium complexes and typical hydrophobic hosts with the additional benefit of excellent solution processability. Both dendrimers exhibit strong solvatochromic behaviours in solvents and exclusive green and yellow-orange light in the solid state.