Synthesis, characterization and electronic effects investigations of new 5,7-disubstituted tris(8-quinolinolate)Al(III) complexes

•A series of 5,7-disubstituted tris(8-quinolinolate) Al(III) complexes containing EW/ED groups were prepared.•The emission color of the new complexes influenced by the electronic environment of the aryl substituents.•Measurements of AlQ3 complexes demonstrate clearly the possibility of tuning their emission color.

Eight 5,7-diaryl-8-hydroxyquinoline ligands were synthesized and characterized by 1H, 13C NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The electron-donating and electron-withdrawing aryl groups were attached to the 5- and 7-positions of the quinolinolate ring via Suzuki coupling reaction. The aluminum complexes of these ligands exhibited successful tuning in the emission color, covering a large segment of the visible spectrum.

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