三种热活化延迟荧光分子单三态能隙差的理论研究

基于两个实验报道的热活化延迟荧光(TADF)分子(DPO-TXO2和DDMA-TXO2),通过改变供体基团,理论设计出一种新分子DPPA-TXO2.采用半经典的Marcus理论表达式,以及密度泛函理论和含时密度泛函理论,研究了改变这三个分子供体单元对其TADF机制的影响.研究结果表明,这三个分子的单三态能隙差都极小,仅为0.01或0.02 eV,这确保了从三重态到单重态的反系间窜跃过程的顺利进行.此外,理论预测的DPO-TXO2分子的反系间窜跃速率为5.67×10~5 s~(-1),跟实验测量值(1.04×10~6 s~(-1))非常吻合,并能够与其辐射失活速率(2.79×10~5 s~(-1))竞争.值得注意的是,新设计的DPPA-TXO2分子的反系间窜跃速率也达到了10~3数量级,是一个潜在的TADF发光体.     

氮杂环配体对卤化亚铜配合物发光机制影响的理论研究

为深入探讨卤化亚铜配合物的发光机制,运用密度泛函理论和含时密度泛函理论的计算方法研究了三个结构相似的溴化亚铜配合物(CuBr-py、CuBr-iq、CuBr-nap)。研究结果表明,CuBr-py和CuBr-nap,电子和空穴重叠程度小,导致其ΔE_ST较小;S₁与T₁间的重组能较小,使其可快速地完成反系间窜越过程,实现热活化延迟荧光(TADF)。此外,与CuBr-nap相比,CuBr-py自旋轨道耦合作用强,其磷光速率也较大,因此其具有TADF和磷光双通道发光特性。而CuBr-iq中喹啉环的存在增大了电子和空穴的重叠程度,ΔE_ST增大;同时S₁与T₁间的重组能较大,T₁无法顺利通过RISC过程回到S₁,导致其最终呈现出磷光特性。这些理论计算结果与实验现象一致,且揭示了N杂环配体结构对于卤化亚铜配合物发光机制的影响规律,为设计和合成稳定高效的发光材料提供了有价值的理论指导。     

热激活延迟荧光材料的光物理行为及性能预测

热激活延迟荧光(Thermally activated delayed fluorescence, TADF)材料由于三线态激子可通过反系间窜越(Reverse intersystem crossing, RISC)转换为单线态激子,在有机发光二极管(Organic light-emitting diodes, OLEDs)中理论上可达到100%的激子利用率而被广泛关注。但实验上开发设计高性能TADF材料较为复杂且研究周期较长,理论研究可以从本质上建立材料结构-性能的关系,预测材料的性质并提供一定的分子设计策略。本文围绕高性能TADF材料的开发,从发光原理出发,系统阐述了分子的设计策略及光物理参数如材料单-三线态能级差(Single-triplet energy gap,ΔE_ST)、系间/反系间窜越速率、吸收/发射光谱、辐射/非辐射速率等的计算原理、计算方法和研究进展。最后我们探讨了TADF材料理论研究面临的机遇和挑战,通过对TADF材料的理论研究综述和研究前景的展望,期待吸引更多的研究工作者,推动该领域的发展和突破。     

高分子热活化延迟荧光材料研究进展

高分子热活化延迟荧光材料能够利用热活化的反向系间窜越过程将三线态激子转变为单线态激子而发出荧光,理论上可以实现100%的内量子效率,突破了传统高分子荧光材料内量子效率不超过25%的极限,因而代表了未来低成本高效率高分子发光材料的发展方向。 近年来,高分子热活化延迟荧光材料在分子设计方面取得了重要进展,形成了主链型、侧链型和树枝状高分子热活化延迟荧光材料等材料体系,同时其器件性能得到了大幅提升,部分材料的器件效率达到了高分子磷光材料的水平。 本文从材料和器件两个方面,围绕高分子热活化延迟荧光材料的分子结构、光物理特性和器件性能,总结和评述了国内外研究者在该领域方向的研究进展,并分析了未来发展面临的机遇和挑战。     

多共振热激活延迟荧光过程的理论研究

本工作借助第一性原理和动力学演化,系统地研究了四个叔丁基-咔唑及吩噻嗪取代的硼-氮化合物(BCz-BN、2PTZ-BN、Cz-PTZ-BN和2Cz-PTZ-BN)的多共振热激活延迟荧光的高效发光机制.结果表明上述分子T₁与T₂间的内转换速率远大于其它辐射与非辐射速率,同时T₂到S₁的反向系间窜越速率也高于T₁到S₁的反向系间窜越速率,因此其多共振热激活延迟荧光过程应遵循T₁→T₂→S₁→S₀的路径.进一步动力学演化表明,T₁与T₂之间的内转换主要发生在演化初期,随着时间的推移,能量逐渐由T₂向S₁转移,并最终在S₁完成荧光发射.上述研究揭示了多共振延迟荧光的微观本质,为未来设计及合成新的多共振热激活延迟荧光分子提供了理论依据.     

以1,3-茚二酮为电子受体的热激活延迟荧光分子的合成及其在有机发光二极管中的应用

本文设计合成了一种新型电子受体2,2-二甲基-1,3-茚二酮,并将其应用于热激活延迟荧光(TADF)分子的设计中,合成了一系列具有不同发光性能的TADF分子:5-二甲基吖啶基-2,2-二甲基-1,3-茚二酮(IDYD),5-吩噁嗪基-2,2-二甲基-1,3-茚二酮(IDPXZ)和5,6-二吩噁嗪基-2,2-二甲基-1,3-茚二酮(ID2PXZ)。以IDYD为客体掺杂制备得到蓝光OLED器件,其CIE值为(0.27,0.31),最大外量子效率(EQE)为2.13%。以IDPXZ为客体掺杂得到橙光OLED器件,其CIE值为(0.43,0.53),EQE为1.31%。以ID2PXZ为客体掺杂得到黄光OLED器件,其CIE值为(0.41,0.54),EQE为2.55%。上述结果证明了以2,2-二甲基-1,3-茚二酮为电子受体可以得到不同发光颜色的TADF分子,并在全色OLED器件中具有一定应用前景。     

水杨醛乙酰腙席夫碱作为Al3+荧光探针分子的理论研究

用密度泛函理论和含时密度泛函理论研究了实验上合成的一种基于水杨醛席夫碱的Al~(3+)荧光探针的性质.通过优化探针分子及其与Al~(3+)形成的配合物可能存在的异构体的几何结构,并模拟各异构体的电子吸收光谱,找到了最可能存在的异构体.最后模拟了它们的荧光光谱,进一步验证了前面推测的异构体的正确性,加深了人们对这一探测过程的认识.     

蓝光热激活延迟荧光分子设计策略概述

热激活延迟荧光（thermally activated delayed fluorescence,TADF）分子由于三重态上的激子可以通过反向系间窜越到单重态并辐射发出荧光,因此在有机发光二极管（organic lightemitting diode, OLED）中理论上可以实现100%的激子利用率。具有TADF特性的发光材料融合了第一代荧光材料和第二代磷光材料的优点,不仅可以实现100%的内量子效率,还有助于降低器件的材料成本,被誉为第三代OLED发光材料,并成为突破高效稳定蓝光OLED瓶颈的潜在解决方案。本文从发光机理出发,系统阐述了高效稳定蓝光TADF分子的设计策略,包括高荧光量子产率、短延迟荧光寿命、窄发射光谱半峰宽、显著的水平分子取向和良好的光电稳定性等。本文旨在为高性能蓝光TADF分子的开发提供理论支持。最后,总结了当前蓝光TADF材料存在的问题,并对其未来的发展前景进行了展望。     

一种基于苯并噻二唑衍生物的F~-荧光探针分子的理论研究

用密度泛函理论研究了最近实验上合成的一种基于苯并噻二唑衍生物的F~-荧光探针(1)的性质.通过对相关化学反应热力学参数的计算,提出了1对F~-具有高选择性的可能原因;同时用含时密度泛函理论对电子吸收光谱和荧光发射光谱进行了理论计算,解释了实验光谱.     

理论预测Al3+与一种萘酚衍生物荧光探针分子形成配合物的结构

用量子化学方法研究了实验上合成的一种基于萘酚的Al~(3+)荧光探针分子L的性质.筛选出了L与Al~(3+)可能形成的配合物的几何结构,并通过电子吸收光谱和荧光光谱进行了验证.在该配合物中,L与Al~(3+)的络合比为2∶2;Al~(3+)采用六配位的结构;与萘环相连的氧原子形成氧桥,将两个Al~(3+)连接起来.最后研究了L与Al~(3+)生成不同配比化合物的反应焓变和吉布斯自由能变.结果表明,L与Al~(3+)的络合比为2∶2时反应焓变和吉布斯自由能变最负,反应最可能发生.这一工作加深了人们对这一识别过程的理解.     

The mechanism of thermally stimulated delayed fluorescence

Rapid heating of isotopic mixed crystalline hexadeuterobenzene at 4.2°K causes an intense peak in the emission of delayed fluorescence (DF). This behaviour can be explained by the rapid depopulation of triplet exciton traps during thermal stimulation. which is followed by annihilation of excitons.Rapid heating was performed either by IR radiation or by electrical heating of the sample. The peak height of the DF emission was found to be dependent on the initial temperature via the square of occupied-trap concentration and proportional to the heating rate during stimulation. This agrees with a kinetic analysis of thermally stimulated DF. For this only one type of trap was assumed. Since weak excitation only was presumed, nonlinear terms in the rate equations were neglected.     

Theoretical study on photophysical properties of a series of functional pyrimidine-based organic light-emitting diodes emitters presenting thermally activated delayed fluorescence

Issue concerning accurate prediction of the reverse intersystem crossing rate (k_RISC) is critical for developing novel efficient thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials. In this contribution, the k_RISC rates from the lowest excited triplet T₁ state to the lowest excited singlet S₁ state were evaluated for five donor-π-acceptor-type pyrimidine-based TADF emitters using the semiclassical Marcus theory. Both the singlet-triplet energy difference (ΔE_ST) and spin–orbit coupling (V) between the S₁ and T₁ states were investigated by performing the density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations. In addition, their fluorescence emission wavelengths (λ_em) were also calculated at the TD-DFT level. The predicted k_RISC and λ_em values are found to reproduce well the available experimental findings. The present results reveal that the k_RISC rates of molecules possessing the unsymmetrical diphenyl pyrimidine acceptor core are calculated to be slightly larger than those of their analogues with the symmetrical diphenyl pyrimidine. In addition, introducing two tert-butyl groups into the 2,7-positions of the donor moiety of the latter is also an effective method for increasing k_RISC when designing TADF emitters. Such a difference is related to the nature of the T₁ excited state. A more remarkable charge-transfer (CT) contribution to the state can achieve a smaller ΔE_ST, leading to a more efficient RISC process, and consequently a shorter delayed fluorescence lifetime as observed experimentally. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Aggregation-induced emission and thermally activated delayed fluorescence of 2,6-diaminobenzophenones

Exploration of novel organic luminophores that exhibit thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) in the aggregated state is very crucial for advance of delayed luminescence-based applications such as time-gated bio-sensing and temperature sensing. We report herein that synthesis, photophysical properties, molecular and crystal structures, and theoretical calculations of 2,6-bis (diarylamino)benzophenones. Absorption spectra in solution and calculations using density functional theory (DFT) method revealed that the optical excitation took place through intramolecular charge-transfer from one diarylamino moiety to an aroyl group. While the benzophenones did not luminesce in solution, the solids of the benzophenones emitted green light with moderate-to-good quantum yields. Thus, the benzophenones exhibit aggregation-induced emission. Based on the lifetime measurement, the green emission of the solids was found to include TADF. The emergence of the TADF is supported by the small energy gap between the excited singlet and triplet states, which was estimated by time-dependent DFT calculations. Thin films of poly(methyl methacrylate) doped by the benzophenones also showed green prompt and delayed fluorescence whose lifetimes were in the order of microseconds. Linear correlation between logarithm value of TADF lifetime and temperature was observed with the benzophenone in powder, suggesting that the benzophenones can serve as molecular thermometers workable under aqueous conditions.     

Small-molecule based thermally activated delayed fluorescence materials with dual-emission characteristics

Organic thermally activated delayed fluorescence(TADF)emitters have attracted increasing concerns,owing to their atypical photophysical features that can pave the way to the innovative engineering applications.As cutting-edge type of luminescent molecules,however,most of them only exert a single-wavelength emission from the lowest excited state,according to Kasha’s rule.To develop their potential applications in multicolor luminescence and multi-functional luminescent probes for biological imaging,researchers have begun to turn their attention to design organic TADF molecules with dual-emission characteristics,by employing an additional fluorescence,phosphorescence,or TADF signal within a single-component system.We herein summarized the design principles as well as the luminescence mechanism of organic donor-acceptor TADF compounds with dual-emission characteristics,the superiority of which can cover unique material applications in modern luminescencerelated fields.     

Electroluminescence based on thermally activated delayed fluorescence generated by a spirobifluorene donor-acceptor structure

An organic light emitting diode based on thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) has been produced using a spirobifluorene derivative (Spiro-CN) having the donor-acceptor moieties as an emitter.     

Strategic molecular design of closo-ortho-carboranyl luminophores to manifest thermally activated delayed fluorescence

In this paper, we propose a strategic molecular design of closo-o-carborane-based donor–acceptor dyad system that exhibits thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) in the solution state at ambient temperature. Planar 9,9-dimethyl-9H-fluorene-based compounds with closo- and nido-o-carborane cages appended at the C2-, C3-, and C4-positions of each fluorene moiety (closo-type: 2FC, 3FC, 4FC, and 4FCH, and nido-type: nido-4FC = [nido-form of 4FC]·[NBu₄]) were prepared and characterized. The solid-state molecular structure of 4FC exhibited a significantly distorted fluorene plane, which suggests the existence of severe intramolecular steric hindrance. In photoluminescence measurements, 4FC exhibits a noticeable intramolecular charge transition (ICT)-based emission in all states (solution at 298 K and 77 K, and solid states); however, emissions by other closo-compounds were observed in only the rigid state (solution at 77 K and film). Furthermore, nido-4FC did not exhibit emissive traces in any state. These observations verify that all radiative decay processes correspond to ICT transitions triggered by closo-o-carborane, which acts as an electron acceptor. Relative energy barriers calculated by TD-DFT as dihedral angles around o-carborane cages change in closo-compounds, which indicates that the structural formation of 4FC is nearly fixed around its S₀-optimized structure. This differs from that for other closo-compounds, wherein the free rotation of their o-carborane cages occurs easily at ambient temperature. Such rigidity in the structural geometry of 4FC results in ICT-based emission in solution at 298 K and enhancement of quantum efficiency and radiative decay constants compared to those for other closo-compounds. Furthermore, 4FC displays short-lived (∼0.5 ns) and long-lived (∼30 ns) PL decay components in solution at 298 K and in the film state, respectively, which can be attributed to prompt fluorescence and TADF, respectively. The calculated energy difference (ΔE_ST) between the first excited singlet and triplet states of the closo-compounds demonstrate that the TADF characteristic of 4FC originates from a significantly small ΔE_ST maintained by the rigid structural fixation around its S₀-optimized structure. Furthermore, the strategic molecular design of the o-carborane-appended π-conjugated (D–A) system, which forms a rigid geometry due to severe intramolecular steric hindrance, can enhance the radiative efficiency for ICT-based emission and trigger the TADF nature.

The first example of a closo-o-carboranyl compound demonstrating thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) nature in solution is shown, and a strategic molecular design of a closo-o-carboranyl luminophore to exhibit TADF is proposed.     

Manipulating exciton dynamics of thermally activated delayed fluorescence materials for tuning two-photon nanotheranostics

Rational manipulation of energy utilization from excited-state radiation of theranostic agents with a donor–acceptor structure is relatively unexplored. Herein, we present an effective strategy to tune the exciton dynamics of radiative excited state decay for augmenting two-photon nanotheranostics. As a proof of concept, two thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) molecules with different electron-donating segments are engineered, which possess donor–acceptor structures and strong emissions in the deep-red region with aggregation-induced emission characteristics. Molecular simulations demonstrate that change of the electron-donating sections could effectively regulate the singlet–triplet energy gap and oscillator strength, which promises efficient energy flow. A two-photon laser with great permeability is used to excite TADF NPs to perform as theranostic agents with singlet oxygen generation and fluorescence imaging. These unique performances enable the proposed TADF emitters to exhibit tailored balances between two-photon singlet oxygen generation and fluorescence emission. This result demonstrates that TADF emitters can be rationally designed as superior candidates for nanotheranostic agents by the custom controlling exciton dynamics.

Exciton dynamics can be manipulated rationally in the design of TADF materials for nanotheranostics. Regulating the ΔE_ST and f promises efficient energy flow for tailoring balances between singlet oxygen generation and fluorescence emission.     

Preparations and photophysical properties of thermally activated delayed fluorescence materials based on N-phenyl-phenothiazine-S,S-dioxide

Four compounds (TM-1～4) based on N-(4-trifluoromethylphenyl)phenothiazine-S,S-dioxide and N-[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]phenothiazine-S,S-dioxide are synthesized by Buchwald-Hartwig cross coupling reaction. The effect of different substituents in acceptors on the electronic, photophysical and electrochemical properties are studied by UV–Vis, fluorescence spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry curves and theoretical calculations. The energy gaps (ΔE_ST) between singlet excited states (S₁) and triplet excited states (T₁) of these compounds decrease by addition of one para-substituted CF₃ or two meta-substituted CF₃ on N-phenyl in order to enhance the electron-withdrawing capability of the acceptors. Small ΔE_ST of these compounds range from 0.09 eV to 0.18 eV. TM-2～4 exhibit thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) characteristics with short delayed fluorescence lifetimes (τ_d) within 0.69-1.16 μs. TM-3 emits blue light with an emission wavelength of 475 nm.