The photoluminescence properties of the copper(I) clusters Cu4I4A4 (A = aromatic amine) in solution

Tunable Luminescence in Hybrid Cu(I) and Ag(I) Iodides

Hybrid materials are increasingly demonstrating their utility across several optical, electrical, and magnetic applications. Cu(I) halide-based hybrids have attracted attention due to their strong luminescence in the absence of rare-earths. Here, we report three Cu(I) and Ag(I) hybrid iodides with 1,5-naphthyridine and additional triphenylphosphine (Ph₃P) ligands. The compounds are built on (Cu/Ag)-I staircase chains or on a rhomboid Cu₂I₂ dimer and display intense and tunable luminescence. Replacing Cu with Ag, and adding the second kind of organic ligand (Ph₃P) tunes the emission color from red to yellow and results in significantly enhanced quantum yield. Density functional theory-based electronic structure calculations reveal the separate effects of the inorganic module and organic ligand on the electronic structure, confirming that bandgap, optical absorption, and emission properties of these phosphors can be systemically and deliberately tuned by metal substitution and organic ligands cooperation. The emerging understanding of composition-structure-property relations in this family provides powerful design tools toward new compounds for general lighting applications.

Atomically Precise Copper Cluster with Intensely Near-Infrared Luminescence and Its Mechanism

In this work, a new Cu(I) cluster is synthesized and structurally characterized: [Cu₁₁(TBBT)₉(PPh₃)₆](SbF₆)₂ (where TBBT = 4-tert-butylbenzenethiol). This Cu(I) cluster exhibits good stability and a bright-red emission both in solution (685 nm) and in the solid state (675 nm) with a large Stokes shift (∼280 nm) under ambient conditions. Its absolute quantum yield is 0.22 in the solid state. Temperature-dependent emissions and theoretical calculations suggest that the origin of this cluster luminescence mainly results from a mixture of the metal-ligand charge transfer and the cluster-centered triplet excited states. This work not only opens new opportunities for functional applications of copper clusters but also sheds light on the structure-luminescence relationship.

Synthesis and Luminescence of Optical Memory Active Tetramethylammonium Cyanocuprate(I) 3D Networks

The structures of three tetramethylammonium cyanocuprate(I) 3D networks [NMe₄]₂[Cu(CN)₂]₂•0.25H₂O (1), [NMe₄][Cu₃(CN)₄] (2), and [NMe₄][Cu₂(CN)₃] (3), (Me₄N = tetramethylammonium), and the photophysics of 1 and 2 are reported. These complexes are prepared by combining aqueous solutions of the simple salts tetramethylammonium chloride and potassium dicyanocuprate. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of complex 1 reveals {Cu₂(CN)₂(μ₂-CN)₄} rhomboids crosslinked by cyano ligands and D_3h {Cu(CN)₃} metal clusters into a 3D coordination polymer, while 2 features independent 2D layers of fused hexagonal {Cu₈(CN)₈} rings where two Cu(I) centers reside in a linear C_∞v coordination sphere. Metallophilic interactions are observed in 1 as close Cu⋯Cu distances, but are noticeably absent in 2. Complex 3 is a simple honeycomb sheet composed of trigonal planar Cu(I) centers with no Cu^…Cu interactions. Temperature and time-dependent luminescence of 1 and 2 have been performed between 298 K and 78 K and demonstrate that 1 is a dual singlet/triplet emitter at low temperatures while 2 is a triplet-only emitter. DFT and TD-DFT calculations were used to help interpret the experimental findings. Optical memory experiments show that 1 and 2 are both optical memory active. These complexes undergo a reduction of emission intensity upon laser irradiation at 255 nm although this loss is much faster in 2. The loss of emission intensity is reversible in both cases by applying heat to the sample. We propose a light-induced electron transfer mechanism for the optical memory behavior observed.

Theoretical Study and Luminescence Properties of the Cyclic Cu(3)(dppm)(3)OH(2+) Cluster. The First Luminescent Cluster Host at Room Temperature

The [Cu(3)(dppm)(3)OH](BF(4))(2) cyclic cluster host is found to be luminescent at 298 K (lambda(max) = 540 nm; tau(e) = 89 +/- 9 &mgr;s; Phi(e) = 0.14 +/- 0.01) in degassed ethanol solutions and at 77 K (lambda(max) = 480 nm; tau(e) = 170 +/- 40 &mgr;s; Phi = 0.73 +/- 0.07) also in ethanol. The nature of the lowest energy excited states has been addressed theoretically using density functional theory and experimentally using UV-visible, luminescence, and polarized luminescence spectroscopy and is found to be (1,3)A(2) arising from the.(18e)(4)(7a(2))(1)(13a(1))(1) electronic configuration. The excited state geometry optimization for the model Cu(3)(PH(3))(6)OH(2+) compound in its T(1) state ((3)A(2)) has been performed using density functional theory and compared to its ground state structure. The Cu.Cu bond length is expected to decrease greatly in the excited state (calculated DeltaQ approximately 0.47 Å), in agreement with the d(10) electronic configuration. The perturbation of the photophysical properties by the addition of two guest carboxylate anions has been investigated. From the Stern-Volmer plots, the quenching constants, k(q), are 1.65 x 10(8) and 5.10 x 10(8) M(-)(1) s(-)(1) for acetate and 4-aminobenzoate, respectively, which are also proportional to the relative binding strengths of the substrates with Cu(3)(dppm)(3)OH(2+) (i.e., acetate < 4-aminobenzoate).