2026-10-14T18:01:50Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33968577 2026-09-22T18:23:58Z category_1 category_4 category_146 category_915 category_7 category_272 category_873 category_734 portal_63 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

Air-Stable Nickel(0) Complexes with Room-Temperature Photoluminescence Tim H. Eggenweiler (21801093) Oliver S. Wenger (1282311) Biophysics Biochemistry Space Science Physical Sciences not elsewhere classified Medicine Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified simple molecular collisions row transition metals inert towards oxidation approximately 4 ns valent oxidation state makes unwanted excited identifies new opportunities based coordination compounds established noble metal 10 </ sup obtain two nickel develop photoactive nickel photoactive complexes based excited state based applications new inner coordination sphere work contributes unique role strong π rich nature quantum yield photophysical performance photochemistry due open perspectives modern cross ligand charge isoelectronic analogy first time coupling catalysis chemical environment central role abundant first Among first-row transition metals, copper(I) plays a central role in photophysics and photochemistry due to its closed d¹⁰ subshell, which makes unwanted excited-state deactivation processes less prevalent than in metal complexes with incompletely filled 3d orbitals. Building on the isoelectronic analogy between nickel(0) and copper(I), we develop photoactive nickel(0) complexes that, for the first time, approach the photophysical performance of their copper(I) counterparts. By creating a coordination sphere that stabilizes the zero-valent oxidation state through strong π-backbonding and shielding it from the chemical environment, we obtain two nickel(0) complexes that are inert towards oxidation by air and show luminescence from a metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) excited state with a quantum yield of near 0.03% and a lifetime of approximately 4 ns in solution at room temperature. The more electron-rich nature of nickel(0) compared to copper(I), as well as the unique role of nickel in modern cross-coupling catalysis, open perspectives for new inner-sphere photocatalysis beyond conventional photoredox strategies relying on simple molecular collisions, in addition to luminescence-based applications. Overall, this work contributes to the advancement of photoactive complexes based on abundant first-row transition metals and identifies new opportunities for photophysics and photochemistry compared to well-established noble metal-based coordination compounds. 2026-09-22T00:00:00Z Dataset Dataset 10.1021/jacsau.6c01216.s002 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Air-Stable_Nickel_0_Complexes_with_Room-Temperature_Photoluminescence/33968577 CC BY-NC 4.0