Synergistic Control of Liquid Crystallinity and Phosphorescence in Gold(I) Complexes via Strategic Alkyl Chain Design

Liquid crystals exhibit unique properties that can be tailored in response to external stimuli. Significant research is directed toward the development of luminescent materials exhibiting liquid crystallinity for various applications. The present work reports Au(I) complexes featuring N-heterocyclic...

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Main Authors: Arushi Rawat, Kohsuke Matsumoto, Ganesan Prabusankar, Osamu Tsutsumi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Crystals
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/15/6/554
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author Arushi Rawat
Kohsuke Matsumoto
Ganesan Prabusankar
Osamu Tsutsumi
author_facet Arushi Rawat
Kohsuke Matsumoto
Ganesan Prabusankar
Osamu Tsutsumi
author_sort Arushi Rawat
collection DOAJ
description Liquid crystals exhibit unique properties that can be tailored in response to external stimuli. Significant research is directed toward the development of luminescent materials exhibiting liquid crystallinity for various applications. The present work reports Au(I) complexes featuring N-heterocyclic carbene and phenyl acetylide ligands. Metal complexes enable the utilization of the triplet excitons through their inherent spin–orbit coupling, promoting intersystem crossing from singlet (S<i><sub>n</sub></i>) to triplet (T<i><sub>n</sub></i>) states to observe room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP). The strong bonds between carbene and Au enhance the thermal stability, and the substituted benzimidazole ring alters the thermodynamic and photophysical properties of the complexes. Incorporating the acetylide ligands with long alkoxy chains led to the formation of liquid crystalline (LC) phases, which exhibited stability over a wide temperature range. Additionally, the luminescence behavior was affected by the ethynyl ligands, and high quantum yields of RTP were observed. This study establishes the development of LC Au(I) complexes with a thermodynamically stable LC mesophase over a wide temperature range for applications in the field of light-emitting functional materials.
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spelling doaj-art-d11c3d6c2fef412ab3cf4e62747df3ae2025-08-20T02:24:34ZengMDPI AGCrystals2073-43522025-06-0115655410.3390/cryst15060554Synergistic Control of Liquid Crystallinity and Phosphorescence in Gold(I) Complexes via Strategic Alkyl Chain DesignArushi Rawat0Kohsuke Matsumoto1Ganesan Prabusankar2Osamu Tsutsumi3Department of Applied Chemistry, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu 525-8577, JapanDepartment of Applied Chemistry, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu 525-8577, JapanDepartment of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Kandi, Sangareddy 502285, IndiaDepartment of Applied Chemistry, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Nojihigashi, Kusatsu 525-8577, JapanLiquid crystals exhibit unique properties that can be tailored in response to external stimuli. Significant research is directed toward the development of luminescent materials exhibiting liquid crystallinity for various applications. The present work reports Au(I) complexes featuring N-heterocyclic carbene and phenyl acetylide ligands. Metal complexes enable the utilization of the triplet excitons through their inherent spin–orbit coupling, promoting intersystem crossing from singlet (S<i><sub>n</sub></i>) to triplet (T<i><sub>n</sub></i>) states to observe room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP). The strong bonds between carbene and Au enhance the thermal stability, and the substituted benzimidazole ring alters the thermodynamic and photophysical properties of the complexes. Incorporating the acetylide ligands with long alkoxy chains led to the formation of liquid crystalline (LC) phases, which exhibited stability over a wide temperature range. Additionally, the luminescence behavior was affected by the ethynyl ligands, and high quantum yields of RTP were observed. This study establishes the development of LC Au(I) complexes with a thermodynamically stable LC mesophase over a wide temperature range for applications in the field of light-emitting functional materials.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/15/6/554gold(I) complexliquid crystalline behavior<i>N</i>-heterocyclic carbeneroom-temperature phosphorescence
spellingShingle Arushi Rawat
Kohsuke Matsumoto
Ganesan Prabusankar
Osamu Tsutsumi
Synergistic Control of Liquid Crystallinity and Phosphorescence in Gold(I) Complexes via Strategic Alkyl Chain Design
Crystals
gold(I) complex
liquid crystalline behavior
<i>N</i>-heterocyclic carbene
room-temperature phosphorescence
title Synergistic Control of Liquid Crystallinity and Phosphorescence in Gold(I) Complexes via Strategic Alkyl Chain Design
title_full Synergistic Control of Liquid Crystallinity and Phosphorescence in Gold(I) Complexes via Strategic Alkyl Chain Design
title_fullStr Synergistic Control of Liquid Crystallinity and Phosphorescence in Gold(I) Complexes via Strategic Alkyl Chain Design
title_full_unstemmed Synergistic Control of Liquid Crystallinity and Phosphorescence in Gold(I) Complexes via Strategic Alkyl Chain Design
title_short Synergistic Control of Liquid Crystallinity and Phosphorescence in Gold(I) Complexes via Strategic Alkyl Chain Design
title_sort synergistic control of liquid crystallinity and phosphorescence in gold i complexes via strategic alkyl chain design
topic gold(I) complex
liquid crystalline behavior
<i>N</i>-heterocyclic carbene
room-temperature phosphorescence
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/15/6/554
work_keys_str_mv AT arushirawat synergisticcontrolofliquidcrystallinityandphosphorescenceingoldicomplexesviastrategicalkylchaindesign
AT kohsukematsumoto synergisticcontrolofliquidcrystallinityandphosphorescenceingoldicomplexesviastrategicalkylchaindesign
AT ganesanprabusankar synergisticcontrolofliquidcrystallinityandphosphorescenceingoldicomplexesviastrategicalkylchaindesign
AT osamutsutsumi synergisticcontrolofliquidcrystallinityandphosphorescenceingoldicomplexesviastrategicalkylchaindesign