Physical and photophysical properties of a linear copper(I) complex of a bulky acenapthene-based NHC ligand

We report the first example of a charge-neutral linear two-coordinate copper(I) complex bearing sterically demanding acenaphthoimidazolylidene-based N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand. The identity and geometry are confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. is poorly emissive at room temperature, showing either ligand-centered (LC) emission around 340 nm when excited 300 or ligand-to-ligand charge transfer (LLCT) 540 420 nm; in chloroform, dual observed upon photoexcitation nm. Nanosecond lifetimes were recorded for these processes. This complexes containing this bulky NHC