Sky-blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diode with superior performance based on novel chlorine functionalized iridium(III) complex

A novel and highly efficient chlorine functionalized iridium(III) complex is designed and synthesized. The complex shows intensive sky-blue phosphorescence (with a peak of 492?nm and a shoulder at 524?nm), high photoluminescence efficiency (0.78) and moderate full width at half maximum (62?nm). The aromatic chlorine introduced into the complex provides the robust chemical stability and effective sky-blue phosphorescence for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The maximum power efficiency, current efficiency and external quantum efficiency for the complex based OLED are up to 48.46?lm/W, 55.04?cd/A and 18.47%, respectively.     

Synthesis and characterization of high Tg carbazole-based amorphous hole-transporting materials for organic light-emitting devices

Novel hole-transporting materials based on carbazole dendrimers, namely G1CBC and G2CBC were synthesized and characterized. They are thermally stable with high glass transition temperatures (T_g) up to 245 °C and exhibit chemically-stable redox processes. Double-layer green OLEDs using these materials as the hole-transporting layer (HTL) with the device configuration of ITO/HTL/Alq3/LiF:Al emit brightly (λ_em 522-534 nm) from the Alq3 layer with a maximum luminance and low turn-on voltage of 15,890 cd/m² and 3.0 V, respectively. Their ability as HTLs in terms of device performance is comparable to the common hole-transporter N,N′-diphenyl-N,N′-bis(1-naphthyl)-(1,1′-biphenyl)-4,4′-diamine (NPB), however their thermal properties were far greater than both NPB and N,N′-bis(3-methylphenyl)-N,N′-bis(phenyl)benzidine (TPD).     

Green-synthesized,low-cost tetracyanodiazafluorene (TCAF) as electron injection material for organic light-emitting diodes

As facile,green,low-cost as possible:One more electron-deficient azaacene (TCAF) with deep LUMO (-4.52 eV), strong electronic affinity,excellent yield,and simple purification procedure was successfully created and explored as good electron injection material.It is believed TCAF would be a promising and pervasive acceptor material and bring in more significant achievements to green and sustainable organic electronics including OLEDs,OFETs,OPVs, and perovskite solar cells,etc.     

Violet/deep-blue fluorescent organic light-emitting diode based on high-efficiency novel carbazole derivative with large torsion angle

A novel and highly efficient violet/deep-blue fluorescent carbazole and naphthalene-based compound (1) is designed and synthesized. The compound shows intensive violet/deep-blue fluorescence, high photoluminescence efficiency (0.72 in CH₂Cl₂, 0.65 in film) and narrow full width at half maximum (48 nm). The large torsion angles between carbazole and naphthalene guarantee the weak intermolecular interactions and suppress the π-π interactions in solid state, resulting in the highly efficient violet/deep-blue fluorescence. The maximum emission peak, luminance and external quantum efficiency for violet/deep-blue electroluminescence are 410 nm, 1326 cd/m² and ～2%, respectively.     

Green-synthesized,low-cost tetracyanodiazafluorene (TCAF) as electron injection material for organic light-emitting diodes

Two electron-deficient azaacenes including di- and tetra-cyanodiazafluorene (DCAF and TCAF) with the advantages of deep lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), green-synthesis, low-cost, simply purification method, excellent yields have been obtained, characterized and used as electron injection materials (EIMs) in three groups of electroluminescence devices. Device B with TCAF as EIM exhibited the best performance including turn-on voltage of 5.0 V, stronger maximum luminance intensity of 31,549 cd/m², higher luminance efficiency of 62.34 cd/A and larger power efficiency of 21.74 lm/W which are 0.53, 6.7, 9.3 and 15.3 times than that of device A with DCAF as EIMs, respectively. The enhanced interfacial electron injection ability of TCAF than that of DCAF is supported by its better electron mobility in electron-only device, deeper LUMO (-4.52 eV), and stronger electronic affinity. Best external quantum efficiency of 16.56% was achieved with optimized thicknesses of TCAF as EIM and TPBi as electron transporting layer. As a new comer of acceptor family, TCAF would push forward organic electronics with more fascinating and significant applications.     

Evolution of the characterization of horizontally aligned organic light-emitting molecules and their recent progress of molecular design

This review article surveys the organic small molecular materials, light-emitting for most of them, being studied for the molecular alignment or orientation in thin films. Following a chronicle order, three practical characterization techniques, variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE), angle-dependent photoluminescence (ADPL), and grazing incidence wide-angle x-ray scattering (GIWAXS) have been used to probe phosphorescence, thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials, as well as those of non-phosphorescence and non-TADF materials.     

Synthesis, characterization, physical properties, and applications of highly fluorescent pyrene-functionalized 9,9-bis(4-diarylaminophenyl)fluorene in organic light-emitting diodes

A new, highly fluorescent pyrene-functionalized 9,9-bis(4-diarylaminophenyl)fluorene, namely PTF, was synthesized and characterized. This material is an amorphous molecular glass with notably high T_g, is electrochemically stable, and exhibits strong blue emission both in solution and solid state. It shows promising ability as a solution processed blue emitter and hole-transporter for OLEDs. High-efficiency sky-blue and Alq3-based green devices with luminance efficiencies of 1.13 and 4.08 cd/A are achieved, respectively.     

Color tuning of iridium complexes for organic light-emitting diodes: The electronegative effect and π-conjugation effect

Novel red phosphorescent emitter bis(4-phenylquinazolinato-N,C^2′) iridium(acetylacetonate) [(pqz)₂Ir(acac)], bis(1-(1′-naphthyl)-5-methylisoquinolinato-N,C^2′)iridium(acetylacetonate) [(1-mniq)₂Ir(acac)] and bis(1-(2′-naphthyl)-5-methylisoquinolinato-N,C^2′)iridium(acetylacetonate) [(2-mniq)₂Ir(acac)] have been synthesized and fully characterized. The electronegative effect of (pqz)₂Ir(acac) ligand shows almost the same influence as the extended π-conjugation effect of (2-mniq)₂Ir(acac). Density functional theory (DFT) was applied to calculate the Kohn-Sham orbitals of HOMOs and LUMOs in the iridium complexes to illustrate the N(1) electronegative atom effect. Finally, lowest triplet state (T₁) energies calculated by time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) were compared with the experimental electroluminescent data. The calculated data for the iridium complexes agreed fairly well with experimental data. Electroluminescent devices with a configuration of ITO/NPB/CBP:dopant/BCP/AlQ₃/LiF/Al were fabricated. The device using (pqz)₂Ir(acac) as a dopant showed deep-red emission with 1931 CIE (Commission International de L’Eclairage) chromaticity coordinates x = 0.70, y = 0.30.     

Alkoxy encapsulation of carbazole-based thermally activated delayed fluorescent dendrimers for highly efficient solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes

Two n-butoxy-encapsulated dendritic thermally activated delayed fluorescent(TADF) emitters(namely O-D1 and O-D2) with the first-/second-generation carbazoledendrons are designed and synthesized via C—N coupling between carbazoledendrons and 2,4,6-tris(4-bromophenyl)-1,3,5-triazine core.It is found that,compa red with the commo nly-used tert-butyl groups,the use of n-butoxy encapsulation groups can lead to smallersinglet-triplet energy gap for the dendrimers,producing stronger TADF effect together with faster reverse intersystem crossing process.Solution-processed TADF organic light-emitting diodes(OLEDs) utilizingalkoxy-encapsulated dendrimers O-D1 and O-D2 as emitters exhibitstate-of-the-art device efficiency withthe maximum external quantum efficiency up to 16.8% and 20.6%,respectively,which are ～1.6 and～2.0 times that of the tert-butyl-encapsulated counterparts.These results suggest that alkoxy encapsulation of the carbazole-based TADF dendrimers can be a promising approach for developing highly efficient emitters for solution-processed OLEDs.     

Synthesis and characterization of fluorene and carbazole dithienosilole derivatives for potential applications in organic light-emitting diodes

Several fluorene or carbazole-based dithienosiloles (DTSs) have been synthesized and their thermal, photophysical, and electrochemical properties have been systematically investigated. These compounds show high thermal stability with glass transition temperature above 110 °C as well as decomposition temperatures at ∼400 °C. Intense green emission is observed in the spectral region of 500-510 nm for all compounds (Φ_PL=0.31-0.80), that is, attributed to both the 5,5′-substituents of the DTS ring and DTS-based π-π^∗ transition. Based on the emission spectra at 77 K, the triplet energy for these compounds was calculated to be within 2.1-2.2 eV, indicating that they may be used as host materials for red emitters in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). All compounds exhibit reversible oxidation and possess low-lying LUMO energies, owing to the conjugated fluorene/carbazole substituents on the DTS. This along with the high thermal/electrochemical stabilities and high fluorescent quantum efficiencies makes the new DTSs compounds promising candidates for use in OLEDs as emitters, host and electron-transporting materials.     

Surface treatment and characterization of ITO thin films using atmospheric pressure plasma for organic light emitting diodes

Ar atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) was used to treat indium-tin-oxide (ITO). The plasma conditions were varied to treat the ITO surface, e.g., plasma treatment time, RF power, flow rate, and the plasma outlet-to-sample distance. The plasma effectiveness was measured by the contact angle. The change in the surface energy calculated with the Owens-Wendt method mainly arises from the polar component. The dynamic contact angle measurements show that APP-treated surface showed considerably lower hysteresis in the water and ethylene glycol but there was no change in hysteresis in methylene iodide compared with the untreated ITO. Atomic force microscopy showed that the Ar APP-treated surface sharply decreased the surface roughness and showed a similar morphology as the untreated ITO. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the Ar APP treatment not only effectively removed carbon contamination from the surface but also introduced oxygen. Therefore, it is believed that the APP treatment modifies the physico-chemical properties of ITO, which can in turn improve the performance of the organic light-emitting diodes.     

Spectroscopic reflectometry as in‐operando method for thickness determination of anodic oxide films on titanium

The present work focuses on the development of an in‐operando technique based on the visible spectroscopic reflectometry (VSR) for simultaneous determination of the oxide film formation during anodizing. The establishment of the VSR as in‐operando technique requires an extensive validation by comparative in‐situ but non‐operando thickness measurements under aqueous conditions. The investigations were carried out on anodic oxide films on pure titanium. The authors demonstrate the VSR as a simple and robust method for measurement under electrolyte covering. Additionally, an empirical correction algorithm extends the limitation of the visible reflectometry in thin film thickness. Reliable film thickness values can be measured down to ≥5 nm. The in‐operando mode yields additional information about the film growth time resolved. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Interaction between organic molecules and electrogenerated nickel fluoride films: the choice of organic reactants for electrochemical perfluorination

The interactions of organic molecules such as acetonitrile, propylene carbonate, and sulfolane on the electrogenerated nickel fluoride films were investigated using cyclic voltammetry and scanning electron microscopy. The effect of water, alkali metal fluorides, fluoride content, and acidity are also reported. Based on these studies, the potential effect of these factors on electrochemical perfluorination processes are projected. Water and alkali metal fluorides would enhance the dissolution of nickel fluoride film. Organic molecules like acetonitrile dissolve nickel fluoride film, while propylene carbonate forms thick polymeric layers on nickel surface. Higher acidity and fluoride ion content enhance the stability of a thin, catalytically active nickel fluoride film. Organic reactants like sulfolane form a composite film with nickel fluoride and, thus, enhance the long-term stability and electrocatalytic activity.     

Growth of organic n-conductors on thin polymer films for use in organic field effect transistors

Thin films of different polymers - poly(styrene) (PS), poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA), poly(vinylcarbazole) (PVCz), poly(vinylchloride) (PVC) and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) - were deposited by spin-coating or by vapor deposition. On these polymers, thin films of (hexadecafluorophthalocyaninato)-oxovanadium (F₁₆PcVO) were prepared by physical vapor deposition. The growth of these films was monitored in situ by optical spectroscopy. The optical absorbance spectra were analyzed based on the coupling of transition dipoles to obtain information on the intermolecular arrangement of chromophores in the films. In all of these samples, the molecules are oriented with their molecular plane preferentially perpendicular to the substrate surface. This gives the desired overlap of the π-systems for electric conductance parallel to the substrate. Differences in the interactions were detected when deposition temperatures below or above the glass transition temperature of a given polymer were compared. The morphology of the polymer films and the deposited semiconductors were investigated by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The influence of the chosen substrate on the film structure is determined. The optical and electric properties of the films could thereby be influenced and the applicability of such films as active layers in organic thin film transistors is discussed.     

Spin-coated methacrylic acid copolymer thin films for covalent immobilization of small molecules on surface plasmon resonance substrates

Hydrophilic copolymers of methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate are simply and rapidly prepared as thin films by spin-coating on gold-coated glass slides with a concurrent photo-crosslinking step. Coating techniques were optimized for use on gold surfaces both separately and as part of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor chips. The population of carboxylic acid functional groups as binding sites in the polymer matrix, as reflected in the corresponding hydrophilicity, could be easily adjusted through changes to the stoichiometric ratio of the monomers, allowing for good control of immobilization capacity. The polymers used adhered to the gold surfaces both with and without use of thiol moieties. Coating thickness was measured by ellipsometry and coatings of 30–40 nm thickness were routinely achieved on gold-coated slides. This dimension is dependent on the spin speed and the viscosity of the polymerization mixture applied. The polymers were further characterized by contact angle measurements and infrared spectroscopy before being applied to immobilization of the steroid cortisol in a BIAcore SPR instrument, where binding to a monoclonal antibody was studied and the surface coatings optimized for maximum specific binding capacity. Optimized surfaces could be regenerated and re-used, and have potential applications as immobilization matrices in plasmonic biosensors with a very rapid coating technique.