An unexpected electro-luminescent properties of scandium(III) heteroaromatic 1,3-diketonate complex

A novel complex of Sc(III) with pyrazole substituted 1,3-diketone (1,3-bis(1,3-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-1,3-propanedione) was synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction, nanotechnology-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (NALDI-TOF-MS) and NMR spectroscopy, including 45Sc NMR. The first sample of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) based on heteroaromatic Sc(III) 1,3-diketonate as an active layer was fabricated and tested. The maximum intensity of yellowish-green electroluminescence (530–560 nm) was equal to 40 cd/m2 and turn-on voltage was about 4.5 V. Further device modification and ligand structure optimization can lead to a better performance of such materials for OLEDs.