Norbornene-Substituted Cationic Iridium(III) Complex and Water-Soluble Luminescent Polymers Based on It: Synthesis, Photophysical and Cytotoxic Properties

Yu. P. Parshina^a, T. A. Kovylina^a, A. N. Konev^a, A. A. Belikov^a, P. O. Baber^a, A. D. Komarova^{b, c}, E. A. Romaeva^c, and L. N. Bochkarev^a^,*

^aG. A. Razuvaev Institute of Organometallic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhny Novgorod, 603950 Russia

^bPrivolzhsky Research Medical University, Nizhny Novgorod, 603005 Russia

^cLobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, 603950 Russia

email: *lnb@iomc.ras.ru

Received 3 October, 2022

Abstract— A norbornene-substituted cationic iridium(III) complex containing 1-phenylisoquinoline cyclometalating ligands and an additional phenylimidazophenanthroline ligand was synthesized. On the base of this complex, water-soluble polymers were obtained by ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The resulting polymers showed oxygen-dependent phosphorescence in the orange spectral region and high cytotoxicity against HCT116 cancer cells.

Keywords: iridium cyclometalated complexes, functionalized polynorbornenes, metathesis polymerization, iridium-containing polymers, photoluminescence, cytotoxicity

DOI: 10.1134/S1070363222120167