Luminescent Ir(III) complexes with deprotonated 1-methyl-2-(2′-pyridyl) pyridinium ligand and 1,10-phenanthroline derivatives

A series of novel cationic [Ir((CN)-N-boolean AND)(2)((NN)-N-boolean AND)](3+) complexes bearing deprotonated 1-methyl-2-(2'-pyridyl)pyridinium ((CN)-N-boolean AND) as cyclometalating ligand and 1,10-phenanthroline derivatives ((NN)-N-boolean AND) as ancillary ligands have been prepared in the form of PF6- salts and identified by means of H-1 and P-31 NMR spectroscopy. Their luminescence properties have been studied in acetonitrile solutions at room temperature and in CH3OH/C2H6OH 1:1 glasses at 77 K. Depending on the alpha-diimine ligand coordinated, the room temperature values of emission wavelength lambda(em) quantum yield phi(em) and lifetime tau(em) vary in the range of 535-630 nm, 0.12-0.60, and 0.06-840 mu s, respectively. The complexes display the changes in the nature of the emissive states, their emission occurs either from the excited triplet states ((CN)-C-3 star-N-boolean AND or (NN)-N-3 star-N-boolean AND) or from the excited singlet state ((NN)-N-1 star-N-boolean AND).