Effects of Molecular Structure and Aggregated Structure on Photoluminescence Properties of Liquid-crystalline Gold(I) Complexes with Various Aromatic Rings

Abstract

Rod-like gold(I) complexes with phenyl, biphenyl, or naphthyl rings in a mesogenic core were synthesized by complexation of ethynyl-substituted aromatic derivatives with (tetrahydrothiophene)AuCl, followed by ligand exchange with alkyl isocyanide, to investigate the effects of molecular and molecular-aggregated structures on their liquid-crystalline (LC) behavior and photoluminescence properties. The gold complexes exhibited enantiotropic liquid crystallinity. Introduction of multi-ring systems into the mesogenic core effectively expanded the LC temperature range. A comparison of the photoluminescence properties in the crystalline phase showed that the molecular-aggregated structure plays a crucial role in the luminescence of these gold complexes.