Dithia[3.3]paracyclophane Core: A Versatile Platform for Triplet State Fine-Tuning and Through-Space TADF Emission

Abstract

Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) based on through-space donor and acceptor interactions constitute a recent and promising approach to develop efficient TADF emitters. Novel TADF isomers using a dithia[3.3]-paracyclophane building block as a versatile 3D platform to promote through-space interactions are presented. Such a 3D platform allows to bring together the D and A units into close proximity and to probe the effect of their orientation, contact site and distance on their TADF emission properties. This study provides evidence that the dithia[3.3]paracyclophane core is a promising platform to control intramolecular through-space interactions and obtain an efficient TADF emission with short reverse-intersystem crossing (RISC) lifetimes. In addition, this study demonstrates that this design can tune the energy levels of the triplet states and leads to an upconversion from (CT)-C-3 to (LE)-L-3 that promotes faster and more efficient RISC to the (CT)-C-1 singlet state.