Luminescent Molecular Octopuses with a Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS) Core and Iridium(III) Polypyridine Arms: Synthesis, Aggregation Induced Emission, Cellular Uptake, and Bioimaging Studies

A new class of luminescent molecular hybrids in which eight cyclometalated iridium(III) polypyridine complexes are grafted onto a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) unit [POSS-{Ir(N^C)₂(py-im)}₈](PF₆)₈ [py-im=pyridine imine; HN^C=N-phenylpyrazole (Hppz) (1 a), 2-phenylpyridine (Hppy) (2 a), 2-phenylquinoline (Hpq) (3 a)] were synthesized and characterized. On photoexcitation, the complexes showed intense and long-lived orange-red to red emission in fluid solutions at room temperature and in low-temperature glasses. The photophysical properties including aggregation-induced emission and biological properties of these complexes were studied and compared with those of their POSS-free counterparts [Ir(N^C)₂(py-im)](PF₆) [HN^C=Hppz (1 b), Hppy (2 b), Hpq (3 b)]. The (photo)cytotoxicity of the complexes was examined by the MTT assay, and their cellular uptake and intracellular localization were investigated by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and laser-scanning confocal microscopy.