Luminescent cyclic trinuclear coinage metal complexes with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) performance†
Abstract
A series of AIE active cyclic trinuclear complexes (Au3, Ag3, and Cu3) have been successfully prepared and elucidated by X-ray crystallography. These complexes showed excellent AIE properties and their quantum yields (QYs) were significantly increased compared to those of the free ligands. The remarkable solution induced AIE activity in atom-precise coinage metal complexes is still scarce, and this work opens a promising avenue for the development of easily prepared metal-based AIE luminogens with high emission efficiency.