Highly efficient electrochemical generation of fluorescent intramolecular charge-transfer states

The electrochemically generated chemiluminescence of 4-(3,6-di-tert-butylcarbazol-9-yl)-benzonitrile (CBP) and 3,6-di-tert-butylcarbazol-9-yl- terephthalonitrile (CTO) was studied using the triple-potential-step method. In the electrogenerated emission spectra the charge-transfer (CT) bands (the same as in photoluminescence) were observed. The Feldberg plot analysis indicates that the 1,3CT states are formed directly by the electron transfer between the radical anion and cation. High emission efficiencies (0.027 for CBP and 0.011 for CTO) were found with population yields of the fluorescent state markedly different for both compounds (0.066 for CBP and unusually large, 0.64 for CTO). Evidence is also presented that at low temperatures the efficiency of the fluorescent state formation (for CTO) is still higher, approaching unity. This finding is interpreted in terms of the different electronic structure of the lowest excited triplet states of the two compounds.