Mechanosynthesis and Photophysics of Colour-tunable Photoluminescent Group 13 Metal Complexes with Sterically Demanding 3,5-di-tert-butyl Substituted Salen and Salophen Ligands

A series of four photoluminescent Al and In complexes were synthesised using an environmentally-benign mechanosynthetic strategy. Both the sterically crowded 3,5-di-tert-butyl functionalised salophen, salen ligands and the complexes are synthesised in the solid-state and fully characterised. The photophysics and electrochemistry of these complexes were studied, the results suggested that these novel group 13 complexes can be alternatives of traditional photoluminescent complexes and to avoid the use of organic solvents, helps to reduce the environmental impact of the process and also improves its energy efficiency.