Charged Bis-Cyclometalated Iridium(III) Complexes with Carbene-Based Ancillary Ligands

Charged cydometalated (CN) iridium(III) complexes with carbene-based ancillary ligands are a promising family of deep-blue phosphorescent compounds. Their emission properties are controlled primarily by the main CN ligands, in contrast to the classical design of charged complexes where NN ancillary ligands with low-energy pi* orbitals, such as 2,2'-bipyridine, are generally used for this purpose. Herein we report two series of charged iridium complexes with various carbene-based ancillary ligands. In the first series the CAN ligand is 2-phenylpyridine, whereas in the second one it is 2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-pyridine. One biscarbene (:CC:) and four different pyridine carbene (NC:) chelators a…