Luminescent Pincer Platinum(II) Complexes with Emission Quantum Yields up to Almost Unity: Photophysics, Photoreductive CC Bond Formation, and Materials Applications

Luminescent pincer-type Pt(II) complexes supported by C-deprotonated π-extended tridentate RC^N^NR' ligands and pentafluorophenylacetylide ligands show emission quantum yields up to almost unity. Femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence measurements and time-dependent DFT calculations together reveal the dependence of excited-state structural distortions of [Pt(RC^N^NR')(CC-C6 F5 )] on the positional isomers of the tridentate ligand. Pt complexes [Pt(R-C^N^NR')(CC-Ar)] are efficient photocatalysts for visible-light-induced reductive CC bond formation. The [Pt(R-C^N^NR')(CC-C6 F5 )] complexes perform strongly as phosphorescent dopants for green- and red-emitting organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with external quantum efficiency values over 22.1 %. These complexes are also applied in two-photon cellular imaging when incorporated into mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs).