Water-Soluble and Biocompatible Cyclometalated Iridium(III) Complexes: Synthesis, Luminescence and Sensing Application

Two new iridium(III) complexes with good water-solubility and biocompatibility have been synthesized and characterized. These two iridium(III) complexes showed strong luminescence with high quantum efficiency. Preliminary experiments demonstrated the feasibility of sensing lectin by formation of iridium(III) complexes. These new iridium(III) complexes might open up new applications in biosensor and chemosensor.