Metallophilic (metal-metal) interactions are weak interactions between closed-shell (d10, s2) or pseudo-closed-shell (d8) metal cations. This type of interaction is generally believed to be responsible for various intriguing structures, luminescence, catalysis and magnetism. To gain a better understanding of metallophilic interactions, both experimental and computational investigations have been carried out in this thesis. Chapter 1 gave an up-to-date literature review on the definition, significance, and methods of estimating metallophilic interactions. The disputed nature and strength of metallophilic interactions encouraged us to further understand them. Chapter 2 focused on aurophilic interactions between AuI cations. Aurophilic interactions were observed in the solid state, but not well expressed in solution. Further experimental and computational results suggested that the strength of aurophilic interactions were weaker than electrostatic interactions. The nature of aurophilic interactions arose from orbital interactions rather than dispersion. Chapter 3 presented the study of metallophilic interactions between group 10 metal centres, including PtII-PtII, PdII-PdII and NiII-NiII. A series of cyclometalated square-planar metal complexes with different metals or substituents were prepared. PtII-PtII interactions were found to be stronger than PdII-PdII and NiII-NiII interactions. The dimerization constants of the Pt-containing complexes increased in line with increasing electron-withdrawing ability. Chapter 4 investigated the solvent-induced and thermally dependent colour changes of the Pt-containing complexes synthesised in chapter 3. Metallophilic interactions were proposed to be important in influencing the luminescence properties.

An investigation of luminescent sensing has been presented. Neutral Red, a common pH luminescent sensor, was shown to be an effective carbon dioxide sensor for the first time. Sensing experiments were performed both through fluorometric and fluorescent microscopy studies, giving rise to the possibility of carbon dioxide sensing for biological applications. Neutral Red was benchmarked against the well-established carbon dioxide sensor Pyranine (8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid trisodium salt), HPTS. Neutral Red was shown to have improved response times and higher consistency within the sensing drift compared to HPTS. Trinuclear Au(I) complexes have previously shown to sense metal ions through changes in their luminescent properties. A computational study on d10-d10 interactions, which exist in complexes where Cu+, Ag+, and Au+ are intercalated with [Au(μ-C2,N3-ethylImidazolate)]3 in the form of both half and full sandwich adducts. Binding energies, total density plots, and Morse and Dunham analyses of potential energy surfaces are employed to better understand the metal-metal interactions and the effects of electron correlation, basis set superposition error, and dispersion of metallophilic interactions of the adduct complexes. As metal-metal interactions within these types of complexes become better understood, the tuning of trinuclear Au(I) complexes for luminescent sensing of metals becomes increasingly possible.

Au cours de ce travail, nous avons préparé des clips moléculaires efficaces à partir de dimères de cuivre(I) ou d'or(I) portant des ligands organophosphorés en tirant parti des interactions métallophiles. Dans un premier temps, un complexe de cuivre(I) portant des ligands bis(2-pyridyl)phospholes a été utilisé comme clip moléculaire pour organiser des systèmes pi monotopiques à fonction cyano et portant divers fragments pi-conjugués. Ces dimères formés par assemblage pis'auto-organisent à l'état solide en colonnes pi infinies. Dans un deuxième temps, un complexe d'or(I) portant un ligand biphosphole a été utilisé comme clip moléculaire pour organiser des unités éthynyl[6]helicenes en dimères. Ces dimères ont montré une augmentation des propriétés chiroptiques par rapport au ligand éthynyl[6]helicene libre. Dans un troisième temps, un complexe bimétallique de cuivre(I) portant des ligands 1,1-bis(diphénylphosphino)méthane (dppm) s'est révélé être un clip moléculaire efficace pour la conception d'architectures supramoléculaires auto-assemblées par réaction avec des cyanométallates. Ces dérivés supramoléculaires ont des topologies différentes et sont émissifs dans le domaine visible après excitation dans l'UV. Dans certains cas, ils ont montré des propriétés de luminescence thermochromique intéressantes. / In this work, we have prepared organophosphorated ligands based copper(I) or gold(I) dimers that act as efficient molecular clips thanks to metallophilic interactions. Firstly, a bimetallic copper(I) complex bearing bis(2-pyridyl)phosphole ligands was used as a molecular clip to organize monotopic cyano-capped pi-systems carrying various pi-conjugated fragments into self-assembled pi-stacked dimers. These dimers organized in the solid state within infinite columnar pi-stacks. Secondly, a bimetallic gold(I) complex bearing a biphosphole ligand was used as a molecular clip to organize ethynyl-capped [6]helicene moieties into self-assembled dimers. These dimers showed an enhancement of the chiroptical properties as compared to the free ethynyl[6]helicene ligand. Thirdly, a bimetallic copper(I) complex bearing 1,1-bis(diphenylphosphino)methane (dppm) ligands has revealed a powerful molecular clip to design self-assembled supramolecular architectures by reaction with different cyanometallates. These supramolecular derivatives have different topologies and are emissive in the visible spectrum upon UV excitation and in some cases they showed intriguing thermochromic luminescence properties.