Light emitting Cu (I) complexes

1. An electroneutral complex of the formula I

L Cu A  (I)

wherein

L stands for a bidentate neutral ligand which

corresponds to the formula II

D 1 -G-D 2   (II)

wherein G stands for a divalent organic bridging group selected from C 1 -C 8 alkylene, C 2 -C 8 alkenylene, C 2 -C 8 alkinylene O, S, SO, SO 2 , O-interrupted C 2 -C 8 alkylene, phenylene, substituted phenylene, or a direct bond and

D 1 and D 2 , each independently, stand for an organic moiety containing an electron donating heteroatom selected from sulphur and/or phosphorus;

A stands for a bidentate monoanionic ligand binding to Cu—

wherein the monoanionic liqand A is of the formulae (VI) or (VII)

wherein

i and m independently are 0, 1 or 2;

k is from the range 3-5;

R independently is C 1 -C 12 alkyl, C 2 -C 8 alkenyl, halogen, nitro, amino, methoxy;

X is H C 1 -C 12 alkyl or an equivalent of a cation such as Li+, Na+, K+, ½Ca2+, ½Mg2+, ½Zn2+.

2. The complex of claim 1 , wherein the ligand L corresponds to the formula II

D 1 -G-D 2   (II)

wherein G stands for a divalent organic bridging group selected from C 1 -C 8 alkylene, C 2 -C 8 alkenylene, C 2 -C 8 alkinylene, O, S, SO, SO 2 , O-interrupted C 2 -C 6 alkylene, phenylene, substituted phenylene, or for a direct bond; and

D 1 , and D 2 , each independently, are selected from phosphinyl moieties of the formula VI

P(D 5 )(D 6 )D 7 -  (VI)

D 5 and D 6 independently are C 1 -C 8 alkyl, C 2 -C 8 alkenyl, C 2 -C 8 alkinyl each of which is unsubstituted or substituted; and

D 7 is C 1 -C 8 alkylene, C 2 -C 8 alkenylene, C 2 -C 8 alkinylene, each of which is unsubstituted or substituted.

3. The complex according to claim 1 , wherein any substituent, if present, is selected from C 1 -C 18 alkoxy; C 1 -C 18 alkyl; said alkyl or alkoxy substituted by halogen, OH, COOH or CONH 2 ; said alkyl or alkoxy interrupted by O, S, COO or CONH; C 2 -C 8 alkenyl; C 2 -C 8 alkynyl; C 4 -C 12 cycloalkoxy; C 4 -C 12 cycloalkyl; OH; COOH; halogen; C 1 -C 14 aryl; said aryl substituted by C 1 -C 8 alkyl, C 1 -C 8 alkoxy, C 1 -C 8 haloalkyl, C 2 -C 8 alkenyl, C 2 -C 8 alkynyl, C 1 -C 8 alkoxycarbonyl, C 1 -C 8 alkanoyloxy, nitro, halogen, OH, COOH, CONH 2 ; where saturated carbons also may be substituted by oxo (═O), adjacent substituents may be linked together to form a carbocyclic, lactone, anhydride, cyclic ether ring.

4. An organic electronic device, I, comprising an emitting layer wherein the emitting layer comprises a compound according to claim 1 .

5. The device of claim 4 , further comprising a hole transport material, selected from polyvinyl-carbazol, N,N′-diphenyl-N,N′-bis(3-methylphenyl)-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4,4′-diamine (TPD), 1,1-bis[(di-4-tolylamino)phenyl]cyclohexane (TAPC), N,N′-bis(4-methylphenyl)-N,N′-bis(4-ethylphenyl)-[1,1′-(3,3′-dimethyl)biphenyl]4,4′-diamine (ETPD), tetrakis-(3-methylphenyl)-N,N,N′,N′-2,5-phenylenediamine (PDA), a-phenyl-4-N,N-diphenylaminostyrene (TPS), p-(diethylamino)benzaldehyde-diphenylhydrazone (DEH), triphenylamine (TPA), bis[4-(N,N-diethylamino)-2-methylphenyl](4-methylphenyl)methane (MPMP), 1-phenyl-3-[p-(diethylamino)styryl]-5[p-(diethylamino)phenyl]pyrazoline (PPR or DEASP), 1,2-trans-bis(9H-carbazol-9-yl)cyclobutane (DCZB), N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis (4-methylphenyl)-(1,1-biphenyl)-4,4′-diamine (TTB), 4,4′-N,N-dicarbazole-biphenyl (CBP), N,N-dicarbazoyl-1,4-dimethene-benzene(DCB), porphyrinic compounds, (phenylmethyl) polysilane, poly(3,4-ethylendioxythiophene) (PEDOT), polyaniline, and combinations thereof, or one or more of the above components doped into a polymer selected from the group consisting of polystyrene and polycarbonate.

6. A method for the preparation of a light emitting device, which method comprises providing an organic substance layer containing a complex or complex salt according to claim 1 between a pair of electrodes on a substrate.

7. A device selected from stationary and mobile displays, selected from the group consisting of displays for computers, mobile phones, laptops, pdas, TV sets, displays in printers, kitchen equipment, billboards, lightings, information boards and destination boards for trains and buses, containing an emitting layer according to claim 4 .