DESIGN AND SYNTHESIS OF PHOTOLUMINESCENT PT(II) AND IR(III) COMPLEXES FOR LIFE SCIENCE AND OLEDS APPLICATION

The remarkable versatility and the outstanding photophysical properties of heavy transition metal complexes prompted towards the design of innovative cyclometalated Pt(II) and Ir(III) complexes with enhanced luminescence. Indeed, the long life-time of the excited states and the possibility to finely tune the phosphorescence phenomenon through minor modifications of the organic backbone makes them attractive for bioimaging, photodynamic therapy and OLEDs application. In this context, the introduction of sterically hindered substituents and of biologically relevant substrates such as glucose and tryptophan on the organic framework was successfully achieved, thus obtaining excellent emitters characterized by increased brightness and selectivity towards tumorous cells. The present thesis provides an extensive discussion concerning the theoretical basis underlying the design of the developed luminophores, the synthetic pathways followed, and the remarkable results obtained. Notably, the designed Pt(II) complexes exhibited extraordinary photophysical properties that have never reported in literature before.