Imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine as an Electron Acceptor to Construct High-Performance Deep-Blue Organic Light-Emitting Diodes with Negligible Efficiency Roll-Off

Two novel bipolar deep-blue fluorescent emitters, IP-PPI and IP-DPPI, featuring different lengths of the phenyl bridge, were designed and synthesized, in which imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine (IP) and phenanthroimidazole (PI) were proposed as an electron acceptor and an electron donor, respectively. Both of them exhibit outstanding thermal stability and high emission quantum yields. All the devices based on these two materials showed negligible efficiency roll-off with increasing current density. Impressively, non-doped organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on IP-PPI and IP-DPPI exhibited external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) of 4.85 % and 4.74 % with CIE coordinates of (0.153, 0.097) and (0.154, 0.114) at 10000 cd m⁻², respectively. In addition, the 40 wt % IP-PPI doped device maintained a high EQE of 5.23 % with CIE coordinates of (0.154, 0.077) at 10000 cd m⁻². The doped device based on 20 wt % IP-DPPI exhibited a higher deep-blue electroluminescence (EL) performance with a maximum EQE of up to 6.13 % at CIE of (0.153, 0.078) and maintained an EQE of 5.07 % at 10000 cd m⁻². To the best of our knowledge, these performances are among the state-of-the art devices with CIE_y≤0.08 at a high brightness of 10000 cd m⁻². Furthermore, by doping a red phosphorescent dye Ir(MDQ)₂ (MDQ=2-methyldibenzo[f,h]quinoxaline) into the IP-PPI and IP-DPPI hosts, high-performance red phosphorescent OLEDs with EQEs of 20.8 % and 19.1 % were achieved, respectively. This work may provide a new approach for designing highly efficient deep-blue emitters with negligible roll-off for OLED applications.     

Photoluminescence and electroluminescence of methoxy and carboethoxy derivatives of 1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinoline

A series of methoxy (MO) and carboethoxy (CE) derivatives of 1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinoline ([DPPQ]) are characterized by spectroscopic methods. All dyes show the photoluminescent spectra which are highly solvatochromic. In the case of 6MO[DPPQ] and 6CE[DPPQ] the emission bands are broad and shifted to the red with increasing of solvent polarity whereas the dyes 6MO1pMO[DPPQ] and 6MO13pMO[DPPQ] exhibit a reverse solvatochromism. The large difference between the excited- and state-dipole moments indicates a strong electron transfer effects in all dyes. The EL spectra are obtained for the fabricated OLEDs with a general structure of EL device ITO/PVK:6X[DPPQ]/Ca/Al. The blue emission originating from PVK host matrix appears to be quenched in EL spectra of doped PVK matrix giving rise to emission in blue, blue-green or green spectral regions. The obtained results demonstrate that a series of newly synthesized methoxy and carboethoxy [DPPQ]-derivatives may be considered as promising materials for electroluminescent applications.     

Dynamics of energy transfer of a dioxolane-substituted pentacene dispersed in 4,4-bis[N-1-naphthyl-N-phenylamino]biphenyl

We examine the steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence of guest-host films featuring a dioxolane-substituted pentacene derivative (2,2,10,10-tetraethyl-6,14-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)-1,3,9,11-tetraoxadicyclopenta[b,m]pentacene, EtTP-5) dispersed in the hole transporting material (4,4-bis[N-1-naphthyl-N-phenylamino]biphenyl, alpha-NPD). The films show bright red emission (lambda(max) = 640 nm) as a result of efficient F?rster energy transfer from alpha-NPD host molecules to EtTP-5 guest molecules. High absolute photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (phi(PL) = 76% +/- 4%) and fluorescence lifetime (tau = 18.6 +/- 0.8 ns) were measured at low concentration (0.28 mol % EtTP-5), with moderate PL quenching observed upon increasing the EtTP-5 concentration. The concentrated films (> or = 1.50 mol % EtTP-5) show less evidence of aggregation than previously seen when EtTP-5 was dispersed in tris(quinolin-8-olato)aluminum(III), making alpha-NPD a superior host for the red-emitting EtTP-5.     

Efficient Near-Infrared Electroluminescence from Lanthanide-Doped Perovskite Quantum Cutters

Perovskite nanocrystals (PeNCs) deliver size- and composition-tunable luminescence of high efficiency and color purity in the visible range. However, attaining efficient electroluminescence (EL) in the near-infrared (NIR) region from PeNCs is challenging, limiting their potential applications. Here we demonstrate a highly efficient NIR light-emitting diode (LED) by doping ytterbium ions into a PeNCs host (Yb³⁺ : PeNCs), extending the EL wavelengths toward 1000 nm, which is achieved through a direct sensitization of Yb³⁺ ions by the PeNC host. Efficient quantum-cutting processes enable high photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) of up to 126 % from the Yb³⁺ : PeNCs. Through halide-composition engineering and surface passivation to improve both PLQY and charge-transport balance, we demonstrate an efficient NIR LED with a peak external quantum efficiency of 7.7 % at a central wavelength of 990 nm, representing the most efficient perovskite-based LEDs with emission wavelengths beyond 850 nm.     

Achieving Near-unity Photoluminescence Quantum Yields in Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Antimony (III) Chlorides with the [SbCl5] Geometry

Hybrid organic–inorganic antimony halides have attracted increasing attention due to the non-toxicity, stability, and high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). To shed light on the structural factors that contribute to the high PLQY, five pairs of antimony halides with general formula A₂SbCl₅ and A₂Sb₂Cl₈ are synthesized via two distinct methods and characterized. The A₂SbCl₅ type adopts square pyramidal [SbCl₅] geometry with near-unity PLQY, while the A₂Sb₂Cl₈ adopts seesaw dimmer [Sb₂Cl₈] geometry with PLQY≈0 %. Through combined data analysis with the literature, we have found that A₂SbCl₅ series with square pyramidal geometry generally has much longer Sb⋅⋅⋅Sb distances, leading to more expressed lone pairs of Sb^III. Additional factors including Sb−Cl distance and stability of antimony chlorides may also affect PLQY. Our targeted synthesis and correlated insights provide efficient tools to precisely form highly emissive materials for optoelectronic applications.     

无间隔层结构的高效率荧光/磷光混合型白光有机发光二极管

采用磷光红光/荧光蓝光/磷光绿光无间隔层三发光层结构,制备出了高效率荧光/磷光混合型白光有机发光二极管(OLEDs),其中选取具有高荧光量子产率(PLQY)的荧光染料4P-NPD(双[N-(1-萘基)-N-苯基-氨基]四联苯)作为蓝光发射分子,以及常用的高效磷光染料Ir(MDQ)₂(acac)和Ir(ppy)₃(acac)分别作为红光和绿光的客体,通过混合和掺杂的方法制备了相应的发光层,实现了发光层中激子的有效利用和白光发射。 制备的白光器件最大电流效率和功率效率分别达到了27.1 cd/A和30.3 lm/W,当电压为6 V时,CIE色坐标为(0.33,0.41),显色指数CRI为70,色温CCT为5432 K。 在此基础上,设计制备了高色温的荧光/磷光混合型白光OLEDs,其色温(CCT)达到了7106 K。     

Narrowband blue emission with insensitivity to the doping concentration from an oxygen-bridged triarylboron-based TADF emitter: nondoped OLEDs with a high external quantum efficiency up to 21.4%

Blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters that can simultaneously achieve narrowband emission and high efficiency in nondoped organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) remain a big challenge. Herein, we successfully design and synthesize two blue TADF emitters by directly incorporating carbazole fragments into an oxygen-bridged triarylboron acceptor. Depending on the linking mode, the two emitters show significantly different photophysical properties. Benefitting from the bulky steric hindrance between the acceptor and terminal pendants, the blue emitter TDBA-Cz exhibited a high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 88% in neat films and narrowband emission. The corresponding non-doped blue device exhibited a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 21.4%, with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of only 45 nm. This compound is the first blue TADF emitter that can concurrently achieve narrow bandwidth and high electroluminescence (EL) efficiency in nondoped blue TADF-OLEDs.

A donor–acceptor TADF emitter showed narrowband high-efficiency blue emission by fine molecular modulation. The corresponding OLEDs exhibited a maximum EQE of 21.4% and a small FWHM of 45 nm, representing the most efficient nondoped blue TADF-OLEDs.     

Synthesis and Characteristics of Organic Red‐Emissive Materials Based on Phenanthro[9,10‐d]imidazole

Red emission is one of the three primary colors that are essential for the realization of full‐color displays and solid‐state lightings. A high solid‐state efficiency is a crucial factor for the applications in organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs). In this work, two new donor‐acceptor‐donor type phenanthro[9,10‐d]imidazole (PIM)‐based derivatives, (2Z,2′Z)‐2,2′‐(1,4‐phenylene)bis(3‐(4‐(1‐phenyl‐1H‐phenanthro[9,10‐d]imidazol‐2‐yl)phenyl)acrylonitrile) ( PIDSB ) and 2,3‐bis(4′‐(1‐phenyl‐1H‐phenanthro[9,10‐d]imidazol‐2‐yl)‐[1,1′‐biphenyl]‐4‐yl)fumaronitrile ( PIDPh ), are designed and synthesized. Both of them possess high thermal stabilities. PIDPh shows typical characteristics of aggregation‐induced emission enhancement, while PIDSB displays an aggregation‐caused quenching effect. They both exhibit significant red‐shifted emissions compared with PIM owing to intramolecular charge transfer. In the film state, the emission peaks of PIDSB and PIDPh are located at 538 nm and 605 nm with high photoluminescent quantum yields of 63.82 % and 41.26 %, respectively. The non‐doped OLED using PIDPh as the active layer shows the maximum external quantum efficiency of 2.06 % with a very low efficiency roll‐off, and exhibits the electroluminescent peak at 640 nm with a Commission Internationale de l′Éclairage coordinate of (0.617,0.396), meeting well the criteria of red OLEDs.     

Red/Near‐Infrared Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence OLEDs with Near 100 % Internal Quantum Efficiency

Developing red thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters, attainable for both high‐efficient red organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) and non‐doped deep red/near‐infrared (NIR) OLEDs, is challenging. Now, two red emitters, BPPZ‐PXZ and mDPBPZ‐PXZ, with twisted donor–acceptor structures were designed and synthesized to study molecular design strategies of high‐efficiency red TADF emitters. BPPZ‐PXZ employs the strictest molecular restrictions to suppress energy loss and realizes red emission with a photoluminescence quantum yield (Φ_PL) of 100±0.8 % and external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 25.2 % in a doped OLED. Its non‐doped OLED has an EQE of 2.5 % owing to unavoidable intermolecular π–π interactions. mDPBPZ‐PXZ releases two pyridine substituents from its fused acceptor moiety. Although mDPBPZ‐PXZ realizes a lower EQE of 21.7 % in the doped OLED, its non‐doped device shows a superior EQE of 5.2 % with a deep red/NIR emission at peak of 680 nm.     

Highly Efficient and Air-Stable Lanthanide EuII Complex: New Emitter in Organic Light Emitting Diodes

Luminescent Eu^II complexes with a characteristic 5d–4f transition have potential applications in many fields. However, their instability in ambient conditions impedes further exploration and application. Herein, we report two new Eu^II complexes, bis[hydrotris(3-trifluoromethylpyrazolyl)borate]europium(II) ( Eu-1 ) and bis[hydrotris(3-methylpyrazolyl)borate]europium(II) ( Eu-2 ). Intriguingly, the blue emissive Eu-1 showed high air stability arising from fluorine protection and close molecular packing, as maintaining a photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 91 % (initial 96 %) upon exposure to air over 2200 hours. While the orange emissive Eu-2 showed a maximum luminance of 30620 cd m⁻², and a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 6.5 %, corresponding to an exciton utilization efficiency around 100 % in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). These results could inspire further research on stable and efficient Eu^II complexes and their application in OLEDs.     

基于聚集荧光增强体系的掺杂纳米粒子的可调控荧光发射与能量传递性质研究

通过再沉淀法制备了平均粒径200 nm左右的N,N'-双[4-(2'-苯并噻唑)-3-羟苯基]-5-叔丁基异酞酰胺(DHBIA)有机纳米粒子. 纳米粒子呈现出明显的聚集诱导荧光增强(AIEE)性质. 基于DHBIA聚集体的强荧光发射强度, 当其中掺杂有红光发射化合物N,N'-双[(4-二苯胺)-苯甲醛缩]二氨基马来腈(PBDM)作为能量受体时, 可清楚地观察到掺杂纳米颗粒中两种组分间的能量传递现象. 结果表明: 通过改变分子PBDM在体系中的掺杂浓度, 可实现对体系发光由绿色到红色的调控.     

Efficient Red Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Emitters Based on a Dibenzonitrile-Substituted Dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine Acceptor

How to construct efficient red-emitting thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials is a challenging task in the field of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Herein, an electron acceptor moiety, 3,6-DCNB-DPPZ, with high rigidity and strong acceptor strength was designed by introducing two cyanobenzene groups into the 3,6-positions of a dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine unit. A red-emitting compound, 3,6_R, has been designed and synthesized by combining the rigid acceptor unit with two triphenylamine donors. Due to high molecular rigidity and strong intramolecular charge transfer characteristic in donor–acceptor–donor skeleton, 3,6_R exhibited a red emission with a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 86% and distinct TADF nature with short delayed fluorescence lifetime of about 1 microsecond. Accordingly, the OLED using 3,6_R as the guest emitter gained a high external quantum efficiency of 12.0% in the red region with an electroluminescence peak of 619 nm and favorable Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage coordinates of (0.62, 0.38).     

Highly efficient blue-emissive electroluminescence: nondestructive color regulation effect of orthogonal cyano-substitution in hybrid locally-excited and charge-transfer (HLCT) backbone emitters

Blue-emissive materials are crucial in organic light emitting diodes (OLED). In this work, we report two highly efficient donor-acceptor materials PPIPO and PPIPOCN. PPIPO is constructed with phenanthroimidazole (PI) and oxadiazole groups, which is blue-emissive with high photoluminescent quantum yield (PLQY) of 86.2%. Furthermore, the cyano-substituted PPIPOCN realize more blue-shifted emission and equal PLQY comparing to PPIPO, which can be assigned to the formation of hybridized local and charge-transfer (HLCT) excited state. Significantly, the OLED based on the two materials both demonstrated decent performances, such as high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 12.5% in PPIPO and nice blue purity of Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage y-coordinate (CIEy) of＜0.15 in PPIPOCN. This work provides a potential strategy for the designing of the high-efficiency and low-cost next-generation electro-fluorescent materials.     

Novel Strategy for Synthesis of High Quality CdTe Nanocrystals in Aqueous Solution

A novel aqueous route for the synthesis of high-quality CdTe nanocrystals（NCs） is presented in this article. With both glutathione（GSH） and cysteine[n（GSH）：n（cysteine）=1：3] as stabilizers, high-quality CdTe NCs with controllable photoluminescence（PL） wavelength from 500 to 630 nm can be prepared within 4 h. As-prepared CdTe NCs show higher photoluminescence quantum yields（PLQY） compared with CdTe NCs prepared via other aqueous methods. When the fluorescent emission peak appeared in orange-red window, the PLQY reaches 70% or above at room temperature without any post-preparative treatment.     

Anisotropic conductivity of undoped and [FeCl4]-doped trans-polyacetylene

EHMO/CO (crystal orbital) quantum chemical methods were used to calculate the two-dimensional (2D) energy band structures of highly oriented trans-polyacetylene (PA) undoped and doped with [FeCl₄]⁻. The band gaps (E_g) of undoped PA in directions parallel and perpendicular to the oriented direction were 1.195 and 3.040 eV, respectively, and that of doped PA with [FeCl₄]⁻ were 0.0223 and 0.0504 eV, respectively. Based on the calculational results, the changes in conductive properties from undoped PA to [FeCl₄]⁻ doped PA could be interpreted. The conductivity anisotropy ratio σ/σ decreased when PA was doped by [FeCl₄]⁻, because the PA chain and the dopant showed a strong interchain coupling. The theoretical results for undoped and doped PA were in good agreement with the experiment.     

Electrochemical Characterisation of Polypyrrole Doped with p‐Sulfonatocalix[4]arene

Polypyrrole (PPy) films doped with macrocyclic calixarene anions are attractive materials for the development of selective sensor materials and membrane systems as the incorporation of the macrocycles can confer specific recognition sites within the polymer matrix. However, unlike many other PPy films a calixarene‐doped system is more complicated as calixarenes are themselves electroactive. Here we present results on the electroactivity, impedance properties and morphology of polypyrrole doped with p‐sulfonatocalix[4]arene. The calixarene in the polymer was found to be irreversibly oxidised at potentials greater than 0.500 V vs. SCE and reacted to form a new redox active species that was trapped within the polymer matrix. The results from the impedance and EQCM studies indicated that the calixarene was permanently trapped within the polymer matrix and the polymer acted as a cation exchange material. In addition, the data acquired from the EQCM experiments showed that while the material displayed simple cation exchange properties at high scan rates, at lower scan rates the transport of neutral species was also observed. Overall, our findings indicate that the PPy‐C4S system is suitable for use as a stable conducting polymer doped with an immobile anion within the potential window of ?0.800 V to 0.500 V vs. SCE.     

Molecular photoelectric switch using a mixed SAM of organic [60]fullerene and [70]fullerene doped with a single iron atom

We describe a photoswitch fabricated on indium tin oxide (ITO) as a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of two fullerene molecules, a purely organic [60]fullerene that generates an anodic current and a [70]fullerene doped with a single iron atom. This device generates a bidirectional photocurrent upon irradiation at 340 and 490 nm. The new [70]fullerene iron complex bearing three rigid carboxylic acid legs, Fe[C(70)(C(6)H(4)C(6)H(4)COOH)(3)]Cp, generates only a cathodic current upon photoexcitation between 350 and 700 nm, whereas the organic [60]fullerene absorbs at wavelengths shorter than 500 nm. The quantum efficiency of the photocurrent generation by the mixed SAM is comparable to that of a single-component SAM, indicating that the individual diode molecules on ITO generate photocurrents independently with little cross talk.     

Synthesis of Thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine-based Alternating Conjugated Polymers via Direct Arylation for Near-infrared OLED Applications

Three alternating conjugated polymers,namely PFTP,PCz TP,and PSi TP,which combine a thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine(TP)unit with different benzene-based donor units such as 9,9-dioctylfluorene,9-heptadecyl-9H-carbazole and 5,5-dioctyl-5H-dibenzo[b,d]silole,were synthesized in good yield(>85%)and high molecular weight up to Mn=5.82×10⁴ via direct arylation polymerization(DAr P).All the resultant polymers exhibit moderate bandgap of about 1.80 e V and strong deep red/near-infrared emitting in the solid state.Among them,the PSi TP-based electroluminescence(EL)devices with an architecture of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/PTAA/emitting layer/TPBi/Li F/Al give the best performance with a maximum luminance of 2543 cd/m² at 478 m A/cm².This work expands the application scope of high-performance conjugated polymers which can be synthesized by DAr P.     

Theoretical study on phosphorescence efficiency and color tuning from orange to blue-green of Ir(III) complexes based on substituted 2-phenylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine ligand

The geometrical structures, phosphorescence quantum yields, and electroluminescence (EL) efficiency of six iridium(III) complexes containing 2-phenylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine ligand are investigated by density functional theory (DFT), which show a wide color tuning of photoluminescence from orange (λ(em) = 550 nm) to blue-green (λ(em) = 490 nm). The calculated results shed some light on the reasons of the remarkably manipulated excited-state and EL properties through substitution effect. The Mulliken charge calculation reveals that attached -CF(3) groups on phenyl and imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine (impy) moieties (4) can make both of them as electron-deficient region, which will lead to the contraction of the whole coordination sphere and strengthen the metal-ligand interaction. While attaching two -CF(3) groups on phenyl ring can make it more electron-deficient, which will induce electron transferring from acac and impy fragment to phenyl ring, and also result in the contracted structure. The largest metal-to-ligand charge transfer ((3)MLCT) character and the smaller S(1)-T(1) energy gap (ΔE(S(1)-T(1))) value increase the emission quantum yields of 4 and 6 than other complexes. For EL efficiency, because of the similar highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) levels of 4 and 6 to that of holes injection material poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) and the larger dipole moments, majority hole will be accumulated on the HOMO of 4 and 6. Combination with the lower lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy levels compared with PVK, the recombination zones of 4 and 6 can be well confined within emitting material layer (EML) and lead to the higher EL efficiency.     

NARROW BANDWIDTH BRIGHT SCARLET ORGANIC ELECTROLUMINESCENT DEVICE BASED ON N,N'-BIS[4-(N,N-DIMETHYLAMONO)-BENZYLIDENE]-DIAMINOMALEONITRILE DYE

A novel red dye, N, N'-bis[4-(N,N-dimethylamino)-benzylidene]diaminomaleonitrile (BAM), was prepared by reacting diaminomaleonitrile with 4-(N,N-dimethylamino)-benzaldehyde and were characterized by ¹H NMR, UV absorption and photoluminescence. The BAM dye showed an absorption peak wavelength of 530 nm and bright photoluminescence with a peak wavelength at 675 nm. It was used as the doped emitter for fabricating a bright scarlet organic electroluminescent (EL) device. The structure of the double-layer EL device consisted of a hole-transport layer and a luminescent layer between ITO glass and magnesium electrodes. The hole-transport layer was a poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) film. The luminescent layer consisted of a host material, 8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum (Alq₃), and BAM dye as the dopant. A bright light with the peak of 620 nm and narrow bandwidth of 50 nm was obtained in the device with a maximum luminance of 6230 cd/m². The emission spectra almost unchanged as the luminance increased with increasing injection current and the bias voltage. A tentative explanation from both the electronic distribution viewpoint and the molecular geometric analysis for the narrow bandwidth of this red dye was offered.