Steric augmentation of three-coordinate Cu(i) β-diketiminate isocyanide chromophores to achieve microsecond excited-state lifetime.

ABSTRACT: Copper(i) complexes are promising alternatives to noble metal-based photosensitizers. A recently developed class of three-coordinate copper(i) charge-transfer chromophores, pairing β-diketiminate ligands with aryl isocyanides, exhibits excited-state lifetimes that are responsive to the steric profile of the isocyanide, reaching a value of nearly 300 nanoseconds when a substituted m-terphenyl isocyanide was used. In this work, we show that extreme steric augmentation of the β-diketiminate and m-terphenyl isocyanide ligands can lead to further improvements in excited-state lifetime, with one example surpassing 1 µs. This study includes a series of eight compounds of the general formula Cu(RNacNac)(CN-Ar^X2), where RNacNac is the substituted β-diketiminate and CN-Ar

SUBMITTER: Kumar A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12931634 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature