Mr. Robin BEVERNAEGIE

IMCN thesis defence

 
"Development of iridiumIII-based sensitizers for oxygen-independent phototherapy and solar energy conversion"
 

Promoteur : Professeur Benjamin Elias (UCLouvain)

In photochemistry, the early 2000s have marked the beginning of the success story of iridium. Thanks to their exceptional optoelectronic properties and their great photostability, iridiumIII-based compounds have emerged as promising light-emitting and light-sensitive materials.

Actually, iridiumIII is characterized by the unique capacity to accommodate up to three carbometalated bonds to give mono-, bis- or tris-cyclometalated complexes. Consequently, a wide variety of spectroelectrochemical properties are available, depending on the number of Ir-C bonds formed. Nevertheless, these properties may also be fine-tuned by modifying the chemical structure of the ligands chelated onto the metal center.

Herein, we report on the synthesis of a novel family of trifluoromethyl-substituted bis-cyclometalated IrIII complexes with an increased photo-oxidizing power. Our goal was to develop type I sensitizers for oxygen-independent anticancer phototherapy. By modifying the diimine ligand, IrIII-based compounds with enhanced visible light absorption have also been obtained. They were studied in order to achieve photo-induced oxidation of halides upon solar excitation. Finally, more fundamental aspects, including the investigation of the primary light-induced processes leading to the final excited state of our complexes, have also been examined.