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Luminescent Molecular Octopuses with a Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS) Core and Iridium(III) Polypyridine Arms: Synthesis, Aggregation Induced Emission, Cellular Uptake, and Bioimaging Studies
Author(s) -
Zhu JingHui,
Tang Ben Zhong,
Lo Kenneth KamWing
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201901029
Subject(s) - silsesquioxane , iridium , chemistry , pyridine , luminescence , nuclear chemistry , photochemistry , polymer chemistry , materials science , medicinal chemistry , organic chemistry , polymer , optoelectronics , catalysis
A new class of luminescent molecular hybrids in which eight cyclometalated iridium(III) polypyridine complexes are grafted onto a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) unit [POSS‐{Ir(N^C) 2 (py‐im)} 8 ](PF 6 ) 8 [py‐im=pyridine imine; HN^C= N ‐phenylpyrazole (Hppz) ( 1 a ), 2‐phenylpyridine (Hppy) ( 2 a ), 2‐phenylquinoline (Hpq) ( 3 a )] were synthesized and characterized. On photoexcitation, the complexes showed intense and long‐lived orange‐red to red emission in fluid solutions at room temperature and in low‐temperature glasses. The photophysical properties including aggregation‐induced emission and biological properties of these complexes were studied and compared with those of their POSS‐free counterparts [Ir(N^C) 2 (py‐im)](PF 6 ) [HN^C=Hppz ( 1 b ), Hppy ( 2 b ), Hpq ( 3 b )]. The (photo)cytotoxicity of the complexes was examined by the MTT assay, and their cellular uptake and intracellular localization were investigated by inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry and laser‐scanning confocal microscopy.