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

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-ArX2), where RNacNac is the substituted β-diketiminate and CN-ArX2 is the substituted m-terphenyl isocyanide. All eight compounds are crystallographically characterized, and their excited-state properties are thoroughly evaluated by a combination of steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence studies. This combined structural/photophysical approach unveils a correlation between common steric parameters, derived from buried volume (%V bur) and solid angle analysis, and the excited-state lifetime. Our investigation reveals that the steric profile of the β-diketiminate has a much larger impact on the steric profile and lifetime, whereas the m-terphenyl isocyanide substituents have an unsystematic and subtle influence on these two correlated parameters. Nevertheless, judicious pairing of the two ligands is critical for achieving long excited-state lifetimes.