An AIE Metal Iridium Complex: Photophysical Properties and Singlet Oxygen Generation Capacity

oleh: Weijin Zhu, Shengnan Liu, Ziwei Wang, Chunguang Shi, Qiaohua Zhang, Zihan Wu, Guangzhe Li, Dongxia Zhu

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-12-01

Deskripsi

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has garnered significant attention in the fields of cancer treatment and drug-resistant bacteria eradication due to its non-invasive nature and spatiotemporal controllability. Iridium complexes have captivated researchers owing to their tunable structure, exceptional optical properties, and substantial Stokes displacement. However, most of these complexes suffer from aggregation-induced quenching, leading to diminished luminous efficiency. In contrast to conventional photosensitizers, photosensitizers exhibiting aggregation-induced luminescence (AIE) properties retain the ability to generate a large number of reactive oxygen species when aggregated. To overcome these limitations, we designed and synthesized a novel iridium complex named <b>Ir-TPA</b> in this study. It incorporates quinoline triphenylamine cyclomethylated ligands that confer AIE characteristics for <b>Ir-TPA</b>. We systematically investigated the photophysical properties, AIE behavior, spectral features, and reactive oxygen generation capacity of <b>Ir-TPA</b>. The results demonstrate that <b>Ir-TPA</b> exhibits excellent optical properties with pronounced AIE phenomenon and robust capability for producing singlet oxygen species. This work not only introduces a new class of metal iridium complex photosensitizer with AIE attributes but also holds promise for achieving remarkable photodynamic therapeutic effects in future cellular experiments and biological studies.