Bright Circularly Polarized Electrochemiluminescence from Heterobinuclear Ir <sup>III</sup> –Au <sup>I</sup> Enantiomers

L Lavinia Ballerini (Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg UMR 7504, 23 rue du Loess Strasbourg 67034 France) M Miaoxia Liu (ISM, UMR CNRS 5255, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux INP Pessac 33607 France) L Lorenzo Arrico (Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale Università di Pisa, Via Moruzzi 13 Pisa 56124 Italy) S Silvia Voci (Institut Lavoisier de Versailles UVSQ CNRS UMR 8180, Université Paris‐Saclay 45, Avenue des États‐Unis Versailles 78035 France) C Christophe Gourlaouen (Chimie de la Matière Complexe, CNRS UMR 7140, Université de Strasbourg, 4, Rue Blaise Pascal, Strasbourg 67000, France) C Chantal Daniel (Laboratoire de Chimie Quantique Université de Strasbourg CNRS, UMR 7177 Institut Le Bel 4 rue Blaise Pascal Strasbourg 67000 France) V Vincent César (LCC‐CNRS, Université de Toulouse CNRS, 205 Route de Narbonne, BP44099 Toulouse Cedex 4 31077 France) S Stéphane Bellemin‐Laponnaz (Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg UMR 7504, 23 rue du Loess Strasbourg 67034 France) F Francesco Zinna (Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale Università di Pisa, Via Moruzzi 13 Pisa 56124 Italy) L Laurent Bouffier (ISM, UMR CNRS 5255, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux INP Pessac 33607 France) F Federico Polo (Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems Ca’ Foscari University of Venice Via Torino 155 Venezia 30172 Italy) L Lorenzo Di Bari (Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale Università di Pisa, Via Moruzzi 13 Pisa 56124 Italy) N Neso Sojic (University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, ISM, UMR, 5255) M Matteo Mauro (Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg UMR 7504, 23 rue du Loess Strasbourg 67034 France)

Abstract

Abstract The development of efficient circularly polarized electrochemiluminescence (CP‐ECL) probes is still at its infancy and examples are still very limited. Yet, their achievement would enable gathering a readout that carries privileged information on the probe's chiral environment by monitoring luminescence polarization bias with high signal‐to‐noise ratio. Notwithstanding, this is a highly challenging task and requires judicious chemical engineering of chiral ECL‐active emitters. Herein, we aim at expanding the palette of CP‐ECL luminophores by presenting a novel class of enantiopure heterobinuclear Ir(III)–Au(I) complexes, which are investigated thoroughly by means of chemical, structural, and (chiro‐)optical techniques. The ground and excited state properties are also elucidated by using density functional theory (DFT) approaches including spin‐orbital coupling (SOC) perturbation. The chiral‐at‐metal complexes display luminescence with a polarization bias of the emitted light that is function of the helical arrangement of the coordination sphere around the Ir(III) center. Overall, the photo‐ and electro‐active complexes unraveled in this work combine unparallelly high photoluminescence quantum yield in the orange region, excellent circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) brightness up to 4.5 M −1 cm −1 with a notable ECL activity. Finally, these features provide emitters with CP‐ECL efficiency that encompass remarkably by a factor 3.5 that of the well‐known benchmark tris ‐(2,2′‐bipyridyl)ruthenium(II).

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 65, Issue 1
Published January 02, 2026
ISSN 1433-7851
Publisher Wiley

Journal Info

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Wiley

ISSN: 1433-7851 Physical Sciences

Authors (14)

L

Lavinia Ballerini

Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg UMR 7504, 23 rue du Loess Strasbourg 67034 France

M

Miaoxia Liu

ISM, UMR CNRS 5255, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux INP Pessac 33607 France

L

Lorenzo Arrico

Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale Università di Pisa, Via Moruzzi 13 Pisa 56124 Italy

S

Silvia Voci

Institut Lavoisier de Versailles UVSQ CNRS UMR 8180, Université Paris‐Saclay 45, Avenue des États‐Unis Versailles 78035 France

C

Christophe Gourlaouen

Chimie de la Matière Complexe, CNRS UMR 7140, Université de Strasbourg, 4, Rue Blaise Pascal, Strasbourg 67000, France

C

Chantal Daniel

Laboratoire de Chimie Quantique Université de Strasbourg CNRS, UMR 7177 Institut Le Bel 4 rue Blaise Pascal Strasbourg 67000 France

V

Vincent César

LCC‐CNRS, Université de Toulouse CNRS, 205 Route de Narbonne, BP44099 Toulouse Cedex 4 31077 France

S

Stéphane Bellemin‐Laponnaz

Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg UMR 7504, 23 rue du Loess Strasbourg 67034 France

F

Francesco Zinna

Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale Università di Pisa, Via Moruzzi 13 Pisa 56124 Italy

L

Laurent Bouffier

ISM, UMR CNRS 5255, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux INP Pessac 33607 France

F

Federico Polo

Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems Ca’ Foscari University of Venice Via Torino 155 Venezia 30172 Italy

L

Lorenzo Di Bari

Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale Università di Pisa, Via Moruzzi 13 Pisa 56124 Italy

N

Neso Sojic

University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, ISM, UMR, 5255

M

Matteo Mauro

Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg UMR 7504, 23 rue du Loess Strasbourg 67034 France