Synthesis, characterization, photophysical and computational study of schiff base ligands and their zn(ii) complexes

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Date
2009
Authors
Eltaher Eltayeb Taha, Naser
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Abstract
Schiff base ligands and their Zn(II) complexes have shown good potentials in a range of applications due to their interesting ground and excited state properties. It is therefore vital to understand how to control the physical and chemical properties of such compounds in order to be able to tune their photophysical properties according to application-specific requirements. This dissertation focuses on the synthesis, characterization and photophysical properties of a variety of Schiff base ligands and their Zn(II) complexes. The work was divided into four main parts. In the first part, fourteen Schiff bases ligands and their Zn(II) complexes were synthesized and fully characterized using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), elemental analysis, atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and X-ray single crystal diffractions. In the second part, the photophysical properties of these compounds were investigated in both liquid and solid state using ultraviolet visible (UV/Vis) and fluorescence spectroscopy. Moreover, the thermal properties of the Schiff bases- Zn(II) complexes were studied using thermographimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In the third part, computational calculations were performed using PM6 and ZINDO/S at semi-empirical level to study the optical absorption spectra of these compounds. The computational results give good agreement with the experimental findings, which indicate the usefulness of these calculations in the design of new luminescent compounds. The final part of this work involved attempted fabrication of the organic light emitting diode (OLED) device. The Schiff base-Zn(II) complex, Zn13, was selected for OLED device fabrication due to its good luminescence properties and high solubility in organic solvents. The device was successfully fabricated, but due to its short lifetime we did not able to measure more of its properties. Further optimization of the device has to be carried out to enhance its lifetime. Based on the findings we can suggest that new luminescent materials with desired color, thermal stability and optical band gap energy could be obtained by synthesis of specific ligands. It is envisaged that the new Schiff base-Zn(II) materials synthesized in the present work have potential for application as organic light emitting diodes (OLED).
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PhD
Keywords
Chemical science , Schiff base ligands , Zn(ii) complexes
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