Near-Infrared Phosphorescent Iridium(III) Benzonorrole Complexes Possessing Pyridine-based Axial Ligands.

Novel near-infrared phosphorescent iridium(III) complexes based on benzo-annulated N-linked corrole analogue (termed as benzonorrole) were synthesized. The structures of the complexes revealed octahedral coordination geometries involving an organometallic iridium-carbon bond with two external axial ligands. Interestingly, the iridium(III) complex exhibits near-infrared phosphorescence at room temperature at wavelengths beyond 900 nm. The significant redshift of the emission, as compared to the corrole congener, is originated from the ligand-centered triplet character. The fine-tuning of the photophysical properties of the complexes was achieved by introducing electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents on the axial pyridine ligands.