Luminescent Behavior of Liquid–Crystalline Gold(I) Complexes Bearing a Carbazole Moiety: Effects of Substituent Bulkiness

Abstract

Organometallic materials that exhibit white luminescence in condensed phases are of considerable interest for lighting and display applications. Herein, new carbazole-based Au(I) complexes containing an isocyanide group and a long pentyl chain were synthesized. The complex with an unsubstituted carbazole moiety exhibited a white emission at room temperature as well as nematic liquid crystalline behavior. Color tunability from white to blue was achieved when bulkier substituents were introduced at the 3 and 6 positions of the carbazole moiety. Furthermore, all complexes possessed long phosphorescence lifetimes in the crystal state. The proposed design framework provides new opportunities for practical applications using luminescent organometallic molecules.

Keywords

• white emission
• liquid crystal
• aggregated structure
• gold(I) complex
• carbazole moiety