Heteroleptic copper(i) charge-transfer chromophores with panchromatic absorption

Four new heteroleptic bis-chelate Cu(i) complexes showing panchromatic visible absorption are described here. With this heteroleptic design, we demonstrate that the energy levels of the spatially separated HOMO and LUMO can be independently and systematically controlled via ligand modification, with charge-transfer absorption bands throughout the visible and NIR regions that cover a wider range than typical Cu(i) chromophores.