Solution-processed blue/deep blue and white phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes (PhOLEDs) hosted by a polysiloxane derivative with pendant mCP (1, 3-bis(9-carbazolyl)benzene)

The synthesis and characterization is reported of an efficient polysiloxane derivative containing the 1,3-bis(9-carbazolyl)benzene (mCP) moiety as a pendant unit on the polysiloxane backbone. In comparison with mCP, the mCP-polysiloxane hybrid (PmCPSi) has significantly improved thermal and morphological stabilities with a high decomposition temperature (Td = 523 °C) and glass transition temperature (Tg = 194 °C). The silicon–oxygen linkage of PmCPSi prevents intermolecular π-stacking and ensures a high triplet energy level (ET = 3.0 eV). Using PmCPSi as a host, blue phosphorescent organic light emitting devices (PhOLEDs) effectively confine triplet excitons, with efficient energy transfer to the guest emitter and a relatively low turn-on voltage of 5.8 V. A maximum external quantum efficiency of 9.24% and maximum current efficiency of 18.93 cd/A are obtained. These values are higher than for directly analogous poly(vinylcarbazole) (PVK) based devices (6.76%, 12.29 cd/A). Good color stability over a range of operating voltages is observed. A two-component “warm-white” device with a maximum current efficiency of 10.4 cd/A is obtained using a blend of blue and orange phosphorescent emitters as dopants in PmCPSi host. These results demonstrate that well-designed polysiloxane derivatives are highly efficient hosts suitable for low-cost solution-processed PhOLEDs

Evaluation of an Unsuccessful Brook Trout Electrofishing Removal Project in a Small Rocky Mountain Stream.

In the western United States, exotic brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis frequently have a deleterious effect on native salmonids, and biologists often attempt to remove brook trout from streams by means of electrofishing. Although the success of such projects typically is low, few studies have assessed the underlying mechanisms of failure, especially in terms of compensatory responses. A multiagency watershed advisory group (WAG) conducted a 3-year removal project to reduce brook trout and enhance native salmonids in 7.8 km of a southwestern Idaho stream. We evaluated the costs and success of their project in suppressing brook trout and looked for brook trout compensatory responses, such as decreased natural mortality, increased growth, increased fecundity at length, and earlier maturation. The total number of brook trout removed was 1,401 in 1998, 1,241 in 1999, and 890 in 2000; removal constituted an estimated 88% of the total number of brook trout in the stream in 1999 and 79% in 2000. Although abundance of age-1 and older brook trout declined slightly during and after the removals, abundance of age-0 brook trout increased 789% in the entire stream 2 years after the removals ceased. Total annual survival rate for age-2 and older brook trout did not decrease during the removals, and the removals failed to produce an increase in the abundance of native redband trout Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdneri. Lack of a meaningful decline and unchanged total mortality for older brook trout during the removals suggest that a compensatory response occurred in the brook trout population via reduced natural mortality, which offset the removal of large numbers of brook trout. Although we applaud WAG personnel for their goal of enhancing native salmonids by suppressing brook trout via electrofishing removal, we conclude that their efforts were unsuccessful and suggest that similar future projects elsewhere over such large stream lengths would be costly, quixotic enterprises

Highly Luminescent Dinuclear Platinum(II) Complexes Incorporating Bis-Cyclometallating Pyrazine-Based Ligands: A Versatile Approach to Efficient Red Phosphors

A series of luminescent dinuclear platinum(II) complexes incorporating diphenylpyrazine-based bridging ligands ((LH2)-H-n) has been prepared. Both 2,5-diphenylpyrazine ((LH2)-H-2) and 2,3-diphenylpyrazine ((LH2)-H-3) are able to undergo cyclometalation of the two phenyl rings, with each metal ion binding to the two nitrogen atoms of the central heterocycle, giving, after treatment with the anion of dipivaloyl methane (dpm), complexes of formula \{Pt(dpm)\}(2)L-n. These compounds are isomers of the analogous complex of 4,6-diphenylpyrimidine ((LH2)-H-1). Related complexes of dibenzo-(f,h)quinoxaline ((LH2)-H-4), 2,3-diphenyl-quinoxaline ((LH2)-H-5), and dibenzo{[}3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine ((LH2)-H-6) have also been prepared, allowing the effects of strapping together the phenyl rings ((LH2)-H-4 and (LH2)-H-6) and/or extension of the conjugation from pyrazine to quinoxaline ((LH2)-H-5 and (LH2)-H-6) to be investigated. In all cases, the corresponding mononuclear complexes, Pt(dpm)(LH)-H-n, have been isolated too. All 12 complexes are phosphorescent in solution at ambient temperature. Emission spectra of the dinuclear complexes are consistently red shifted compared to their mononuclear analogues, as are the lowest energy absorption bands. Electrochemical data and TD-DFT calculations suggest that this effect arises primarily from stabilization of the LUMO. Introduction of the second metal ion also has the effect of substantially increasing the molar absorptivity and, in most cases, the radiative rate constants. Meanwhile, extension of conjugation in the heterocycle of (LH2)-H-5 and (LH2)-H-6 and planarization of the aromatic system favored by interannular bond formation in (LH2)-H-4 and (LH2)-H-6 leads to further red shifts of the absorption and emission spectra to wavelengths that are unusually long for cyclometalated platinum(II) complexes. The results may offer a versatile design strategy for tuning and optimizing the optical properties of d-block metal complexes for contemporary applications