Investigation and applications of pyrimidine-based molecular emitters

Abstract

Luminescent materials are crucial for driving forward innovations in consumer electronics, medicine, and industrial processes. As such, the continued development and improvement of these materials is necessary should technology continue to advance at the rapid rates we have seen over the previous decades. The work of this dissertation is largely concerned with the synthesis and characterization of a library of organic small molecule emitters, each of which possess the same pyrimidoquinoline moiety functionalized with electron donating units of varying strength. Each unique set of fluorophores were characterized structurally and photophysically, with the latter revealing key insights into the radiative and non-radiative processes associated with each luminescent profile. We demonstrate interesting phenomena such as single component white light via solvatochromism arising from the cooperation of localized excited states and charge transfer states which could prove useful in vapochromic sensing of harmful vapours in an industrial setting, or commercialization in WOLEDs.