Materials for organic electroluminescence: aluminium vs. boron

We report the synthesis of boron complexes 1-7 and their absorption and emission (photoluminescence and electroluminescence) characteristics in solution and in the solid state. We compare their electronic properties to those of the Alq(3) analogues, and use molecular orbiral (MO) calculations to rationalise the lambda(max) shifts caused by systematically substituting methyl groups around the periphery of the 8-hydroxyquinoline ligand moiety. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.