Electrogenerated chemiluminescence. 81. Influence of donor and acceptor substituents on the ECL of a spirobifluorene-bridged bipolar system.

The electrochemistry and radical ion annihilation electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of 9,9'-spirobifluorene-bridged bipolar systems containing 1,3,4-oxadiazole-conjugated oligoaryl and triarylamine substituents were investigated. The stability of the oxidized spirobifluorenes was improved by functionalization with triarylamine centers. These donor-acceptor (DA) compounds exhibited a good fluorescence efficiency with an emission maximum that correlated with the potential difference between radical anion and cation formation, suggesting a charge transfer (CT) emission band. An ECL mechanism based on the formation of the CT excited state by radical ion annihilation or production of the triplet state followed by triplet-triplet annihilation, with perhaps some excimer contribution, is proposed.