Synthesis and NIR-optoelectronic properties of a seven-coordinate ytterbium tris β-diketonate complex with C3v, geometrical structure

A low symmetry NIR emitting ytterbium (III) (beta-diketonate ternary complex with composition, [Yb(tta)(3)(tppo)]center dot H(2)0 (tta = thenoyltrifluoroacetylacetone and tppo = triphenyl phosphine oxide) was synthesized and fully characterized. Single crystal X-ray analysis and shape measurement calculations indicate that the complex is a seven-coordinate and possesses distorted trigonal prism geometry with coordination polyhedra YbO7 where the Yb(III) ion is surrounded by seven oxygen atoms of three tta and one tppo ligands. It is a highly asymmetric structure enhancing the radiative transitions which is an indicative of efficient energy transfer from coordinated ligands to Yb ion. The complex was doped in a tris(4-carbazoyl-9-ylphenyl)amine(TcTa) matrix and used as an emitting layer to fabricate near-infrared organic light emitting device (NIR-OLED) with the structure: ITO/{NiN'-bis(naphtalen-2-y1)-N,N'-bis(phenyl) benzidine) (25 nm)/[Yb-complex] (10%): TcTa (40 nm)/BCP (15 nm)/Alq(3) (10 nm)/LiF (0.5 nm)/Al (120 nm). The complex based NIR-OLED showed good EL efficiency with maximum irradiance of 19.29 mu W/cm(2) and current density of 27.3 mA/cm(2) at 15 V. In view of electrical characteristics, the charge carrier mobility, mu(0), of the complex was determined by using Mott-Gurney model which gave a sizable value of 4.50 x 10(-8) cm(2)/Vs. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.