A new series of Os(II) diimine complexes with the general formula [Os(N
N)(CO)
2I
2], N
N = 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy)(
1), 4,4'-di-
tert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine (dbubpy) (
2), 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (dpphen) (
3), 2-(2'-pyridyl)benzoxazole (pboz) (
4), and 5-
tert-butyl-2-(2'-pyridyl)benzoxazole (bupboz) (
5), were synthesized and characterizedby spectroscopic methods and by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study on the dpphen complex
3. The correspondingphotophysical properties were studied using UV-vis and emission spectrometry. The resulting phosphorescencefeatures both in solution and as a solid film, in combination with the MO calculation, lead us to conclude that theemissions originate from mixed halide-to-ligand (XLCT ~70%) and metal-to-ligand (MLCT ~30%) transitions insteadof the typical MLCT transition. Using complexes
4 and
5 as the dopant emitters, we evaluated their potential toserve as a phosphor for organic light emitting diodes by examining their electroluminescent performances. Reddishorange electroluminescence centered around 600 nm was observed for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs)fabricated using complex
5 as the emitter; the device efficiency was shown to be as high as 2.8% (and 5.0 cd/Aor 2.7 lm/W), and the peak luminance was shown to be 5600 cd/m
2 at a driving voltage of ~15 V.