Critical Aspects and Challenges in the Design of Small Molecules for Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) Application

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) has gained renewed interest due to the strong parallel development of luminophores in the field of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) with which this technique shares several aspects. In this perspective review we discuss the most relevant advances of the past 15 years in the study of organic and organometallic compounds as ECL emitters, by dividing them in three different classes: i) fluorescent emitters, ii) phosphorescent emitters and iii) Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence (TADF) emitters; then, water-soluble organic luminophores will be also discussed. We focus on how their design, their photo- and electrochemical properties and, in particular, the nature of the emitter, affect their efficiency in ECL. Regardless of the type of luminophore or the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), the literature converges on the fact that the most determining aspect is the stability of the oxidized/reduced form of the emitter. Even if phosphorescent emitters can show outstanding efficiency, this often requires the absence of oxygen. In the case of TADFs, there is also a strong dependence of photoluminescence both in terms of PLQY and emission energy on the polarity of the media, so compounds, that appear promising in organic solvents, may be very inefficient in aqueous media.