Star-shaped triphenylamine terminated difluoroboron β-diketonate complexes: synthesis, photophysical and electrochemical properties

Two new star-shaped difluoroboron beta-diketonate complexes (TBC)(3)Ph and (TBF)(3)Ph, in which the terminal groups of triphenylamine functionalized difluoroboron beta-diketonates were bridged by carbazole or fluorene to the core of 1,3,5-benzene, have been synthesized. It was found that they gave high molar extinction coefficients, meaning strong light-harvesting ability, and emitted intense yellow light with fluorescence quantum yields (Phi(F)) of 0.73 and 0.67 for (TBC)(3)Ph and (TBF)(3)Ph, respectively, in toluene as well as red light in solid states with Phi(F) of 0.36 and 0.27, respectively. The electrochemical behaviors suggested that they had considerably higher electron affinities than tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum (AlQ(3)), which indicated that they could be used as electron-transporting materials besides emitting materials. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.