Synthesis and properties of a series of iridium complexes with naphthalenyl imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole derivatives as primary ligands

Abstract

Eight iridium complexes by employing 3-methyl-6-(naphthalen-2-yl)-imidazo [2,1-b] thiazole (mn2mt) and 3-methyl-6-(naphthalene-1-yl)imidazo [2,1-b] thiazole (mn1mt) as the primary ligands, as well as picolinic acid (pic), isoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid (3-IQA), quinoline-2-carboxylic acid (2-QA), and 2-(pyridin-2-yl)phenol (hppy) as the auxiliary ligands, were synthesized for applications where organic optical function materials are required. On top of that, their structures, photoluminescence, and electrochemical properties were thoroughly investigated. More specifically, their maximum emission wavelengths can be detected in the range of 557-609 nm, while the luminous colors span from the green to the standard red region. Interestingly, by employing the synthesized IrIII complexes as emitters, light-emitting diode (LED) chips based on InGaN chip excitation were fabricated, which divulged good performances.