Electrogenerated chemiluminescence of a spirobifluorene-linked bisanthracene: a possible simultaneous, two-electron transfer.

We report the electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of 2,2'-bis(10-phenylanthracen-9-yl)-9,9'-spirobifluorene (spiro-FPA), a dichromophoric molecule composed of two phenylanthracenes linked by a spirobifluorene moiety (PA-X-PA). The results are compared to those for 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA), a related molecule with a single chromophore. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) of spiro-FPA shows two reversible, closely spaced, one-electron transfers on both reduction and oxidation, occurring at E(o)(1,red) = -2.02, E(o)(2,red) = -2.07 V vs SCE and E(o)(1,ox) = 1.14, E(o)(2,ox) = 1.20 V vs SCE. The potentials for each pair are close enough to appear as a single peak in CV, indicating that the spirobifluorene moiety interrupts conjugation between the redox centers. The potentials observed are similar to those of DPA, which shows E(o)(red) = -2.06 V vs SCE and E(o)(ox) = 1.15 V vs SCE. The absorbance spectrum of spiro-FPA shows lambda(max,abs) = 377 nm, with 377 = 25,700 M(-1) s(-1), while DPA exhibited lambda(max,abs) = 374 nm, with 374 = 13,800 M(-1) s(-1), demonstrating that spiro-FPA has twice the available chromophores as DPA. Photoluminescence (PL) data for spiro-FPA shows lambda(max,PL) = 434 nm, with Phi(PL) = 0.74, while DPA fluoresces at 420 nm with Phi(PL) = 0.91; thus, there is greater solvent or structural relaxation in the spiro-FPA excited state, which may account for the greater internal conversion. Unlike DPA, the ECL spectrum of spiro-FPA exhibits long-wavelength emission not observed in the PL. We attribute this emission to excimers formed during annihilation ECL. Steric hindrance prevents DPA from forming excimers, even in ECL, but spiro-FPA annihilation can occur between pairs of di-ions (PA(*-)-X-PA(*-) and PA(*+)-X-PA(*+)), which are electrostatically more strongly attracted to one another than the mono-ions. This greater electrostatic attraction may be sufficient to overcome the steric hindrance to excimer formation. Lowering the electrolyte concentration decreases the electrostatic shielding of the ions from one another; thus, the increase in longer wavelength ECL accompanying a decrease in electrolyte concentration supports the role of the di-ions in excimer formation. Additionally, simulations show, consistent with experiment, a more rapid decrease in excimer concentration than in excited monomer concentration as a function of time after each potential pulse. This is probably due to the greater number of scavenging reactions available for di-ions. The simulations are confirmed experimentally when lower potential pulsing frequencies yield lower relative excimer emission. Since an excited state created by one-electron transfer between two di-ions should be rapidly quenched via electron transfer by the other PA moiety, the existence of excimers suggests the possibility of simultaneous, two-electron transfer to generate the excimer.