Effect of Electron-Donating Substituents and an Electric Field on the ΔEST of Selected Imidazopyridine Derivatives: A DFT Study.

Abstract

A series of thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) molecules having an imidazopyridine acceptor, a benzene linker, and a 9,9-dimethyl-9,10-dihydroacridine donor are designed and examined using a quantum chemical approach. The above framework spatially separates the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), minimizing their overlap, ultimately resulting in a reduced energy gap between the excited singlet and triplet states (ΔEST). The impact of electron-donating substituents (-Me, -Et, -t-Bu, -OMe, and -NMe2) on the donor moiety of the parent molecule 2-(4-(9,9-dimethylacridin-10(9H)-yl)phenyl)imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-3,6-dicarbonitrile (Ac-CNImPy) is investigated. The calculated results revealed that for a given substituent, the para-substituted derivatives exhibit relatively less ΔEST, compared to that of the respective ortho- and meta derivatives. The value of ΔEST decreased with an increase in the electron-donating capacity of the substituent. Additionally, the ΔEST of the disubstituted derivatives is found to be less than that for the monosubstituted derivatives. The charge transport studies revealed that molecules with strong electron-donating substituents act as electron transporters. The effect of an external electric field (EEF) on ΔEST of the parent molecule Ac-CNIMPY and its derivative is also examined and revealed that the ΔEST can be further reduced by applying an electric field of appropriate strength in a direction perpendicular to the dipole moment of the molecule and in the plane of the acceptor moiety.