Metal complexes

1. A compound of formula (1):

[Ir(L) n (L′) m ]  (1)

wherein the compound of formula (1) comprises a substructure Ir(L) n of formula (2):

wherein

Y is the same or different in each instance and is CR or N, with the proviso that not more than one Y per cycle is N, or two adjacent Y together are a group of formula (3):

wherein the dotted bonds denote the linkage of this group in the ligand;

X is the same or different in each instance and is CR or N, with the proviso that not more than two X per ligand are N;

R is the same or different in each instance and is H, D, F, Cl, Br, I, N(R 1 ) 2 , CN, Si(R 1 ) 3 , B(OR 1 ) 2 , C(═O)R 1 , a straight-chain alkyl, alkoxy, or thioalkoxy group having 1 to 40 carbon atoms, a straight-chain alkenyl or alkynyl group having 2 to 40 carbon atoms, or a branched or cyclic alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alkoxy, or thioalkoxy group having 3 to 40 carbon atoms, each of which is optionally substituted by one or more R 1 radicals, wherein one or more nonadjacent CH 2 groups are optionally replaced by R 1 C═CR 1 , Si(R 1 ) 2 , C═O, NR 1 , O, S, or CONR 1 and wherein one or more hydrogen atoms are optionally replaced by D, F, or CN, or an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms and is optionally substituted by one or more R 1 radicals, an aryloxy or heteroaryloxy group having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms and is optionally substituted by one or more R 1 radicals, or a diarylamino group, diheteroarylamino group, or arylheteroarylamino group having 10 to 40 aromatic ring atoms and is optionally substituted by one or more R 1 radicals; and wherein two or more adjacent R radicals together optionally define a mono- or polycyclic, aliphatic, aromatic and/or benzofused ring system;

R 1 is the same or different in each instance and is H, D, F, Cl, Br, I, N(R 2 ) 2 , CN, Si(R 2 ) 3 , B(OR 2 ) 2 , C(═O)R 2 , a straight-chain alkyl, alkoxy, or thioalkoxy group having 1 to 40 carbon atoms, or a straight-chain alkenyl or alkynyl group having 2 to 40 carbon atoms, or a branched or cyclic alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alkoxy, or thioalkoxy group having 3 to 40 carbon atoms, each of which is optionally substituted by one or more R 2 radicals, wherein one or more nonadjacent CH 2 groups are optionally replaced by R 2 C═CR 2 , Si(R 2 ) 2 , C═O, NR 2 , O, S, or CONR 2 and wherein one or more hydrogen atoms are optionally replaced by D, F, or CN, or an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms and is optionally substituted by one or more R 2 radicals, an aryloxy or heteroaryloxy group having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms and is optionally substituted by one or more R 2 radicals, or a diarylamino group, diheteroarylamino group, or arylheteroarylamino group having 10 to 40 aromatic ring atoms and is optionally substituted by one or more R 2 radicals; and wherein two or more adjacent R 1 radicals together optionally define a mono- or polycyclic, aliphatic ring system;

R 2 is the same or different in each instance and is H, D, F, or an aliphatic, aromatic, and/or heteroaromatic organic radical having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, wherein one or more hydrogen atoms are optionally replaced by D or F; and wherein two or more R 2 substituents together optionally define a mono- or polycyclic, aliphatic or aromatic ring system;

L′ is the same or different in each instance and is a mono- or bidentate ligand;

n is 1, 2, or 3;

m is 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4;

wherein, in the substructure of formula (2), two adjacent Y are CR and the respective R radicals together with the carbon atoms to which they are attached define a ring of formula (4) or formula (5) and/or two adjacent Y are a group of formula (3) and two adjacent X in the group of formula (3) are CR and the respective R radicals together with the carbon atoms to which they are attached define a ring of formula (4) or formula (5):

wherein

the dotted bonds denote the linkage of the two carbon atoms in the ligand;

A 1 and A 3

are the same or different in each instance and are C(R 3 ) 2 , O, S,

NR 3 , or C(═O);

A 2 is C(R 1 ) 2 , O, S, NR 3 , or C(═O);

G is an alkylene group having 1, 2, or 3 carbon atoms and is optionally substituted by one or more R 2 radicals, —CR 2 ═CR 2 —, or an ortho-bonded arylene or heteroarylene group having 5 to 14 aromatic ring atoms and is optionally substituted by one or more R 2 radicals;

R 3 is the same or different in each instance and is F, a straight-chain alkyl or alkoxy group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, a branched or cyclic alkyl or alkoxy group having 3 to 10 carbon atoms, each of which is optionally substituted by one or more R 2 radicals, wherein one or more nonadjacent CH 2 groups are optionally replaced by R 2 C═CR 2 , C≡C, Si(R 2 ) 2 , C═O, NR 2 , O, S, or CONR 2 , and wherein one or more hydrogen atoms are optionally replaced by D or F, an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 24 aromatic ring atoms and is optionally substituted by one or more R 2 radicals, an aryloxy or heteroaryloxy group having 5 to 24 aromatic ring atoms and is optionally substituted by one or more R 2 radicals, or an aralkyl or heteroaralkyl group having 5 to 24 aromatic ring atoms and is optionally substituted by one or more R 2 radicals; and wherein two R 3 radicals bonded to the same carbon atom together optionally define an aliphatic or aromatic ring system and thus form a spiro system; and wherein R 3 with an adjacent R or R 1 radical optionally defines an aliphatic ring system;

with the proviso that no two heteroatoms in A 1 -A 2 -A 1 are bonded directly to one another and no two C═O groups are bonded directly to one another.

2. The compound of claim 1 , wherein

n is 3 and m is 0, or

n is 2 and m is 1,

wherein L′ is a bidentate ligand which coordinates to the iridium via one carbon atom and one nitrogen atom, one carbon atom and one oxygen atom, two oxygen atoms, two nitrogen atoms, or one oxygen atom and one nitrogen atom, or

n is 1 and m is 2,

where L′ is an ortho-metalated ligand which coordinates to the iridium via one carbon atom and one nitrogen or oxygen atom.

3. The compound of claim 1 , wherein the substructure Ir(L) n is selected from the group consisting of structures of formulae (6) through (15):

wherein Y is the same or different in each instance and is CR or N.

4. The compound of claim 1 , wherein a total of 0, 1, or 2 of Y and, if present, X in L are N.

5. The compound of claim 1 , wherein the substructure Ir(L) n is selected from the group consisting of structures of formulae (6-1) through (6-7), (7-1) through (7-6), (8-1) through (8-5), (9-1) through (9-5), (10-1) through (10-5), (11-1) through (11-6), (12-1) through (12-4), (13-1) through (13-3), (14-1) through (14-4), and (15-1) through (15-3):

6. The compound of claim 1 , wherein one or more of Y and/or X are N and a substituent R bonded adjacent to N is selected from the group consisting of CF 3 , OCF 3 , alkyl or alkoxy groups having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, a dialkylamino group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring systems optionally substituted by one or more substituents R 1 , or aralkyl or heteroaralkyl groups optionally substituted by one or more substituents R 1 , or wherein the substituent R bonded adjacent to N is incorporated in a structure of formula (4) or (5).

7. The compound of claim 1 , wherein the substructure Ir(L) n is selected from the group consisting of substructures of formulae (6a) through (15h):

wherein * in each case denotes the position at which the two adjacent Y or X are CR and the respective R radicals together with the carbon atoms to which they are attached define a ring of formula (4) or formula (5).

8. The compound of claim 1 , wherein the structure of formula (4) is selected from the group consisting of formulae (4-A), (4-B), (4-C), (4-D), and (4-E):

wherein

A 1 , A 2 and A 3 are the same or different in each instance and are O or NR 3 , and

wherein the structure of formula (5) is selected from the group consisting of formulae (5-A), (5-B), and (5-C):

9. The compound of claim 1 , wherein R 3 is the same or different in each instance and is F, a straight-chain alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms or a branched or cyclic alkyl group having 3 to 20 carbon atoms, wherein one or more nonadjacent CH 2 groups or optionally replaced by R 2 C═CR 2 and one or more hydrogen atoms are optionally replaced by D or F, or an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 14 aromatic ring atoms and is optionally substituted by one or more R 2 radicals; and wherein two R 3 radicals bonded to the same carbon atom together optionally define an aliphatic or aromatic ring system and thus form a spiro system; and wherein R 3 optionally defines an aliphatic ring system with an adjacent R or R 1 radical.

10. A process for preparing the compound of claim 1 comprising reacting the ligand with an iridium alkoxide of formula (44), an iridium ketoketonate of formula (45), an iridium halide of formula (46), or a dimeric iridium complex of formula (47) or (48):

wherein Hal is F, Cl, Br, or I, or

reacting the ligand L with an iridium complex of formula [Ir(L′) 2 (HOMe) 2 ]A or [Ir(L′) 2 (NCMe) 2 ]A or reacting the ligand L′ with an iridium complex of formula [Ir(L) 2 (HOMe) 2 ]A or [Ir(L) 2 (NCMe) 2 ]A, wherein A is a non-coordinating anion, or reacting the ligand with an iridium compound having both alkoxide and/or halide and/or hydroxyl radicals and ketoketonate radicals.

11. A formulation comprising at least one compound of claim 1 and at least one further compound.

12. The formulation of claim 11 , wherein the at least one further compound is a solvent.

13. An electronic device comprising at least one compound of claim 1 .

14. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the electronic device is selected from the group consisting of organic electroluminescent devices, organic integrated circuits, organic field-effect transistors, organic thin-film transistors, organic light-emitting transistors, organic solar cells, organic optical detectors, organic photoreceptors, organic field-quench devices, light-emitting electrochemical cells, and organic laser diodes.

15. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the electronic device is an organic electroluminescent device, wherein the compound is used as an emitting compound in one or more emitting layers comprising a matrix material.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the matrix material comprises ketones, phosphine oxides, sulfoxides, sulfones, triarylamines, carbazoles, indolocarbazoles, indenocarbazoles, azacarbazoles, bipolar matrix materials, azaboroles, boronic esters, diazasiloles, diazaphospholes, triazines, zinc complexes, beryllium complexes, dibenzofurans, and/or bridged carbazole derivatives.