Aggregation-induced emission enhancement in charge-transporting derivatives of carbazole and tetra(tri)phenylethylene

Abstract

New tri- or tetraphenylethylene-substituted phenylcarbazole derivatives exhibiting aggregation-induced emission were synthesized by the synthetic route including Pd-catalyzed Suzuki or Buchwald-Hartwig coupling and Heck reactions. The results of evaluation of the thermal, optical, electrochemical, photophysical, and charge-transporting properties of the synthesized derivatives are presented. The compounds possess high thermal stabilities with 5% weight loss temperatures exceeding 350 °C. Some of the synthesized compounds form glasses with glass transition temperature ranging from 77 to 114 °C. Their maximum fluorescence intensity wavelengths are in the range of 472–498 nm. The highest photoluminescence quantum yield of 43.9% was observed for the solid sample of 2-(4-(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)phenylethenyl)phenyl)-9-ethylcarbazole. The electron photoemission spectra of the films of the synthesized compounds revealed ionization potentials of 5.49–5.74 eV. Hole drift mobilities in the layers of 9-phenylcarbazole para-substituted with tri- or tetraphenylethylene moities reached 10−3 cm2 V−1 s−1 at moderate electric fields, as established by the time-of-flight technique.