Thermally Tunable Dual Emission of the d^8–d^8 Dimer [Pt_2(μ-P_2O_5(BF_2)_2)_4]^(4–)

Abstract

High-resolution fluorescence, phosphorescence, as well as related excitation spectra, and, in particular, the emission decay behavior of solid [Bu_4N]_4[Pt_2(μ-P_2O_5(BF_2)_2)_4], abbreviated Pt(pop-BF_2), have been investigated over a wide temperature range, 1.3–310 K. We focus on the lowest excited states that result from dσ^*pσ (5d_z2–6p_z) excitations, i.e., the singlet state S_1 (of ^1A_2u symmetry in D_(4h)) and the lowest triplet T_1, which splits into spin–orbit substates A_(1u)(^3A_(2u)) and E_u(^3A_(2u)). After optical excitation, an unusually slow intersystem crossing (ISC) is observed. As a consequence, the compound shows efficient dual emission, consisting of blue fluorescence and green phosphorescence with an overall emission quantum yield of ∼100% over the investigated temperature range. Our investigation sheds light on this extraordinary dual emission behavior, which is unique for a heavy-atom transition metal compound. Direct ISC processes in Pt(pop-BF_2) are largely forbidden due to spin-, symmetry-, and Franck–Condon overlap-restrictions and, therefore, the ISC time is as long as 29 ns for T < 100 K. With temperature increase, two different thermally activated pathways, albeit still relatively slow, are promoted by spin-vibronic and vibronic mechanisms, respectively. Thus, distinct temperature dependence of the ISC processes results and, as a consequence, also of the fluorescence/phosphorescence intensity ratio. The phosphorescence lifetime also is temperature-dependent, reflecting the relative population of the triplet T_1 substates E_u and A_(1u). The highly resolved phosphorescence shows a ∼220 cm^(–1) red shift below 10 K, attributable to zero-field splitting of 40 cm^(–1) plus a promoting vibration of 180 cm^(–1).

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