pH- and Saccharide-Responsive Cyclometalated Iridium(III) Complexes with Boronic Acid Moieties Displaying a Wide Range of Phosphorescence Colors

Single compounds displaying a wide range of luminescent colors are attractive optical materials for sensor applications. In this study, we present the beneficial combination of a cyclometalated iridium(III) complex scaffold and boronic acid units for designing stimuli-responsive luminescent materials with various emission colors. Five iridium(III) complexes bearing a diboronic acid ligand (bpyB2) were synthesized: Ir(C^N)bpyB2 (C^N = 2-phenylpyridine (1), 2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)pyridine (2), 2-(4-methoxyphenyl)pyridine (3), benzo[h]quinoline (4), 1-phenylisoquinoline (5)). The luminescence color of Complexes 1-4 changed in response to the solution pH or saccharide concentration. Complex 1 exhibited a color change from orange to green-blue due to structural alteration of the boronic acid moiety from trigonal to tetrahedral. Furthermore, the luminescence color of Complex 1 changed reversibly due to repetitive changes in the solution pH between 5 and 10, enabling tuning of the luminescence color and pH tracking. Furthermore, the color range was tuned by selecting an appropriate C^N ligand. Time-dependent density functional theory investigations revealed that the dramatic and reversible color changes could be ascribed to a switch in the electronic distribution in the lowest excited state from bpyB2 to C^N. The stimulus-responsive iridium(III) complexes provide a prospective scaffold for future applications in color-tunable optical devices and chemosensing systems.