Red phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes based on a novel host material with thermally activated delayed fluorescent properties

High cost of phosphors and significant efficiency roll-off at high brightness are the two main factors that limit the wide application of phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PHOLEDs). Efforts have been paid to find ways to reduce the phosphors’ concentration and efficiency roll-off of PHOLEDs. In this work, we reported red emission PHOLEDs with low dopant concentration and low efficiency roll-off based on a novel host material 2,4-biscyanophenyl-6-(12-phenylindole[2,3-a]carbazole-11-yl)-1,3,5-triazine (BCPICT), with thermally activated delayed fluorescent(TADF) properties. The device with 1.0% dopant concentration displayed a maximum external quantum efficiency of 10.7%.When the dopant concentration was increased to 2.0%, the device displayed a maximum external quantum efficiency of 10.5% and a low efficiency roll-off of 5.7% at 1000 cd/m2.     

Enhanced deep-red emission in donor-acceptor molecular architecture:The role of ancillary acceptor of cyanophenyl

Organic solid-state luminescent materials with high-efficiency deep-red emission have attracted considerable interest in recent years.Constructing donor-acceptor(D-A) type molecules has been one of most commonly used strategies to achieve deep-red emission,but it is always difficult to achieve high photoluminescence(PL) quantum yield(η_(PL)) due to forbidden charge-transfer state.Herein,we report a new D-A type molecule 4-(7-(4-(diphenylamino)phenyl)-9-oxo-9 H-fluoren-2-yl)benzonitrile(TPAFOCN),deriving from donor-acceptor-donor(D-A-D) type 2,7-bis(4-(diphenylamino)phenyl)-9 Hfluoren-9-one(DTPA-FO) with a fluorescence maximum of 627 nm in solids.This molecular design enables a transformation of acceptor from fluorenone(FO) itself to 4-(9-oxo-9 H-fluoren-2-yl)benzonitrile(FOCN).Compared with DTPA-FO,the introduction of cyanophenyl not only shifts the emission of TPA-FOCN to deep red with a fluorescence maximum of 668 nm in solids,but also maintains the high η_(PL) of 10%.Additionally,a solution-processed non-doped organic light-emitting diode(OLED)was fabricated with TPA-FOCN as emitter.TPA-FOCN device showed a maximum luminous efficiency of0.13 cd/A and a maximum external quantum efficiency(EQE) of 0.22% with CIE coordinates of(0.64,0.35).This work provides a valuable strategy for the rational design of high-efficiency deep-red emission materials using cyanophenyl as an ancillary acceptor.     

Synthesis and device properties of carbazole/benzimidazole-based host materials

We report two bipolar host materials bearing hole-transport benzofurocarbazole/indenocarbazole cores and an electron-transport benzimidazole moiety for red phosphorescence organic light emitting devices (PhOLEDs). The two novel host materials exhibited excellent physical properties with high thermal stabilities, appropriate HOMO-LUMO energy levels and balanced charge transport. Both of them were applied to fabricate red PhOLEDs as promising host materials, and 7,7-dimethyl-5-(4′-(1-phenyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4-yl)-5,7-dihydroindeno[2,1-b]carbazole (ICBI) based device demonstrated outstanding electroluminescence performance with the maximum current efficiency, power efficiency and external quantum efficiency of 33.0 cd/A, 13.9 lm/W and 18.9%, respectively.     

Peripherally Heavy-Atom-Decorated Strategy Towards High-Performance Pure Green Electroluminescence with External Quantum Efficiency over 40 %

Heavy-atom integration into thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) molecule could significantly promote the reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) process. However, simultaneously achieving high efficiency, small roll-off, narrowband emission and good operational lifetime remains a big challenge for the corresponding organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Herein, we report a pure green multi-resonance TADF molecule BN-STO by introducing a peripheral heavy atom selenium onto the parent BN-Cz molecule. The organic light-emitting diode device based on BN-STO exhibited state-of-the-art performance with a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 40.1 %, power efficiency (PE) of 176.9 lm W⁻¹, well-suppressed efficiency roll-off and pure green gamut. This work reveals a feasible strategy to reach a balance between fast RISC process and narrow full width at half maximum (FWHM) of MR-TADF by heavy atom effect.     

An efficient material via meta-position connection as thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitter for organic light-emitting diodes

A novel compound was designed and synthesized by connecting a dicyanobenzene acceptor and two 9,9-dimethyl-9,10-dihydroacridine donors to the 1,3,5-position of a phenyl ring by meta-position connection. This compound, which is a novel emitter for OLED devices, exhibits preferable heat stability. Moreover, the energy gap between its singlet and triplet states is as small as 0.04 eV, resulting in this molecule possesses thermally activated delayed fluorescence. Therefore, the corresponding device showed efficient electroluminescent performances. The maximum external quantum efficiency, maximum current efficiency, maximum power efficiency and maximum luminance were 16.5%, 40.8 cd A^?1, 45.8 lm W^?1 and 5120 cd m^?2, respectively. In addition, the CIE_x,y only changed from (0.22, 0.38) to (0.22, 0.39) over the entire operating voltage range, which confirms that the device possesses highly stable chromaticity with respect to the current density. Based on these experimental results, meta-connected type structures may provide a new approach for developing high-performance TADF emitters for OLED applications.     

Carbazole-modified blue light-emitting copolymers with the backbones integrated by diphenyloxadiazole,fluorene, and triphenylamine

Two new blue light-emitting polymers, poly{[2,5-bis(4-phenylene)-1,3,4-oxadiazole]-[9,9-dihexylfluorene-2,7-diyl]-[N-(4-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)phenyl)-N,N-bis(p-phenylene)aniline]} (POFPA) and poly{[2,5-bis(4-phenylene)-1,3,4-oxadiazole]-[9,9-dihexylfluorene-2,7-diyl]-[4-(3,6-(di-9H-carbazol-9-yl)-9H-carbazol-9-yl)-N,N-bis(p-phenylene)-aniline]} (POFCPA), were synthesized by Suzuki coupling reactions. By GPC analysis against a linear polystyrene standard POFPA and POFCPA were found to have M_n of 1.68 × 10⁴ and 3.70 × 10³, respectively. In contrast to POFPA, the main absorption peak of POFCPA in dilute toluene solution was blue-shifted by Δλ = 26 nm owing to its backbone of relatively shorter π-conjugation length and more carbazole units in side chain. The absolute fluorescence quantum yield (Φ_f) of POFCPA in dilute toluene solution was determined as 73%, much higher than that of POFPA (Φ_f ≈ 58.9%) measured under the same conditions. An electroluminescence device based on POFCPA displays a stable blue emission having color coordinates of (0.15, 0.20), a maximum brightness of 4762 cd/m², and a maximum current efficiency of 1.79 cd/A. By using this polymer as the host material doped with 1 wt.% 4,4′-bis[2-(4-(N,N-diphenylamino)phenyl)vinyl]biphenyl, the achieved highest brightness, maximum current efficiency and maximum power efficiency are 13,613 cd/m², 3.38 cd/A, and1.84 lm/W, respectively.     

Selective Introduction of Carbazole and Diphenylamine into Spirofluorenexanthene Core for Different Phosphorescent Hosts

Built on the spiro[fluorene‐9,9′‐xanthene] (SFX) core and two frequently‐used hole‐transporting groups such as carbazole and diphenylamine, two SFX derivatives, namely SFXCz and SFXDPA, have been synthesized by one‐step reaction for red, green and blue phosphorescent organic light‐emitting devices (PHOLEDs). Though the properties of these two groups are very similar, the devices based on SFXCz and SFXDPA exhibit distinct performances. In blue PHOLEDs, the device based on SFXCz exhibited much better performances than that based on SFXDPA. However, the latter was superior to the former in green and red PHOLEDs. And the red PHOLED based on SFXDPA exhibited maximum current efficiency (CE) of 27.1 cd·A^?1, power efficiency (PE) of 25.0 lm·W^?1, and external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 15.0%. The results show that the introduction of diphenylamine group is suitable for constructing green and red host materials, whereas the introduction of carbazole group is suitable for constructing blue host materials.     

Twisted penta‐Carbazole/Benzophenone Hybrid Compound as Multifunctional Organic Host,Dopant or Non‐doped Emitter for Highly Efficient Solution‐Processed Delayed Fluorescence OLEDs

A new multi‐functional penta‐carbazole/benzophenone hybrid compound 5CzBP was designed and synthesized through a simple one‐step catalyst‐free C—N coupling reaction by using 2,3,4,5,6‐pentafluorobenzophenone and carbazole as starting materials. 5CzBP is very soluble in tetrahydrofuran (THF), which brings an environmentally friendly device fabrication for solution‐processed OLEDs instead of most widely used chlorinated solvents when 5CzBP is employed as the bulk‐phase of organic host or non‐doped emitter in the emissive layer. 5CzBP exhibits thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) characteristic with relatively high triplet energy of 2.60 eV and a low ΔE_ST of 0.01 eV. By using the new TADF material as organic host for another green TADF emitter, maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 12.5% has been achieved in simple solution‐processed OLED device. Besides, a maximum EQE of 8.9% and 5.7% was further obtained in TADF devices based on 5CzBP as dopant and non‐doped emitter, respectively. The simultaneously acting as efficient TADF host and non‐doped TADF emitter provides the potential guidance of the future simple single‐layer two‐color white OLEDs based on low‐cost pure organic TADF materials.     

Synthesis and red electroluminescence of a dimesityl-functionalized bistetracene

The single crystal analysis of the as-prepared 8,16-dimesityltetraceno[2,1,12,11-opqra]tetracene (DMTA) suggests that the parent bistetracene backbone is almost in a plane without any intermolecular p-stacking interaction. The fabricated devices based on DMTA as an emitter exhibit a maximum brightness of 632 cd/m² at 14.7 V with the CIE coordinate of (0.623, 0.349).     

Ag2S quantum dot-sensitized solar cells

We present a new photosensitizer – Ag₂S quantum dots (QDs) – for solar cells. The QDs were grown by the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction deposition method. The assembled Ag₂S-QD solar cells yield a best power conversion efficiency of 1.70% and a short-circuit current of 1.54 mA/cm² under 10.8% sun. The solar cells have a maximal external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 50% at λ = 530 nm and an average EQE of ～ 42% over the spectral range of 400–1000 nm. The effective photovoltaic range covers the visible and near-infrared spectral regions and is ～ 2–4 times broader than that of the cadmium chalcogenide systems — CdS and CdSe. The results show that Ag₂S QDs can be used as a highly efficient and broadband sensitizer for solar cells.     

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.     

Novel poly (neutral red) nanowires as a sensitive electrochemical biosensing platform for hydrogen peroxide determination

Poly (neutral red) nanowires (PNRNWs) have been synthesized for the first time by the method of cyclic voltammetric electrodeposition using porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template and were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Moreover, horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was encapsulated in situ in PNRNWs (denoted as PNRNWs–HRP) by electrochemical copolymerization for potential biosensor applications. The PNRNWs showed excellent efficiency of electron transfer between the HRP and the glassy carbon (GC) electrode for the reduction of H₂O₂ and the PNRNWs–HRP modified GC electrode showed to be excellent amperometric sensors for H₂O₂ at −0.1 V with a linear response range of 1 μM to 8 mM with a correlation coefficient of 0.996. The detection limit (S/N = 3) and the response time were determined to be 1 μM and <5 s and the high sensitivity is up to 318 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻².     

Synthesis and properties of a thiophene-substituted diaza[7]helicene for application as a blue emitter in organic light-emitting diodes

Carbazole-based diaza[7]helicene substituted by thiophene groups, 2,12-dithiophene-5,15-dihexyl-5,15-diaza[7]helicene (6), was synthesised successfully and confirmed by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, High Resolution Mass Spectrometry, Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry. Compound 6 exhibited good solubility and excellent thermal stability with no melting point and a high decomposition temperature of 453.64 °C. A doped device with a structure of ITO/NPB (50 nm)/CBP: 10% 6 (30 nm)/Bphen (20 nm)/Mg:Ag (150 nm)/Ag (50 nm) emitted the blue light at 460 nm with Commission Internationale de LEclairage (CIE) coordinate of (0.176, 0.26). The maximum brightness and external quantum efficiency (EQE) were 2306 cd m^?2 and 0.41%, respectively.     

Highly Efficient Near‐Infrared Delayed Fluorescence Organic Light Emitting Diodes Using a Phenanthrene‐Based Charge‐Transfer Compound

Significant efforts have been made to develop high‐efficiency organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) employing thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters with blue, green, yellow, and orange–red colors. However, efficient TADF materials with colors ranging from red, to deep‐red, to near‐infrared (NIR) have been rarely reported owing to the difficulty in molecular design. Herein, we report the first NIR TADF molecule TPA‐DCPP (TPA=triphenylamine; DCPP=2,3‐dicyanopyrazino phenanthrene) which has a small singlet–triplet splitting (ΔE_ST) of 0.13 eV. Its nondoped OLED device exhibits a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 2.1 % with a Commission International de L′Éclairage (CIE) coordinate of (0.70, 0.29). Moreover, an extremely high EQE of nearly 10 % with an emission band at λ=668 nm has been achieved in the doped device, which is comparable to the most‐efficient deep‐red/NIR phosphorescent OLEDs with similar electroluminescent spectra.     

A Tetrahedral Bisacridine Donor Enables Fast Radiative Decay in Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Emitter

Achieving high efficiency and low efficiency roll-off simultaneously is of great significance for further application of thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) emitters. A balance between radiative decay and reversed intersystem crossing must be carefully established. Herein, we propose a qunolino-acridine (QAc) donor composing two acridine with both planar (pAc) and bended (bAc) geometries. Combining with triazine, a TADF emitter QAc-TRZ is assembled. The pAc provides a well interaction with triazine which ensures a decent TADF behavior, while the bAc offers a delocalization of highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) which guarantees an enhancement of radiative decay. Remarkably, QAc-TRZ enables a highly efficient organic light emitting diode (OLED) with maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 37.3 %. More importantly, the efficiencies under 100/1000 cd m⁻² stay 36.3 % and 31.7 %, respectively, and remain 21.5 % even under 10 000 cd m⁻².     

The dimeric unit [La(H2O)4(m-PO3C6H4COOH)(m-PO2(OH)C6H4COOH)(m-PO(OH)2C6H4COOH)]2 as building block of layered hybrid material

A new hybrid organic–inorganic material with the structural formula unit [La(H₂O)₄(m-PO₃C₆H₄COOH)(m-PO₂(OH)C₆H₄COOH)(m-PO(OH)₂C₆H₄COOH)]₂ (or [La(H₂O)₄C₂₁H₁₈O₁₅P₃]₂) has been synthesized under hydrothermal condition from La(NO₃)₃·6H₂O and 3-phosphonobenzoic acid (m-PO(OH)₂–C₆H₄–COOH) which is a rigid organic precursor possessing two types of functional groups: phosphonic acid and carboxylic acid. The two units of the produced hybrid are linked together by hydrogen bonds leading to a layered framework composing of by a repetition of inorganic and organic slices. The organic layers consist of dimeric units made of two meta-phosphono-benzoic acid linked together by hydrogen bonds involving their COOH groups. Two kinds of dimeric units are observed: PO₃C₆H₄COOH?HOOCC₆H₄PO(OH)₂, present 2 times in the structure, and PO₂(OH)C6H4COOH?HOOCC₆H₄PO₂(OH). The material crystallises in a monoclinic cell (C2/c (15) space group) with the following parameters: a = 42.515(4) Å, b = 7.4378(6) Å, c = 20.307(2) Å, β = 118.031(6)°, V = 5668.2(9) Å³, Z = 4, density = 1.908 g/cm³.     

Multi-Resonance Building-Block-Based Electroluminescent Material: Lengthening Emission Maximum and Shortening Delayed Fluorescence Lifetime

Multi-resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) materials are considered a class of organic materials with exceptional electronic and optical properties, which make them promising for the applications in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). In this study, we improved, synthesized, and characterized a multiple-resonance type emitter based on the assembly of MR-building blocks (MR-BBs). By optimizing the geometric arrangement of MR-BBs, we were able to generate narrowband emission in the longer wavelength region and shorten the delayed excited-state lifetime, resulting in improved emission efficiency compared to the parent molecule. Our proof-of-concept molecule, m-DBCz, exhibited narrowband yellowish-green TADF emission with a full width at half-maximum of 32 nm and a small singlet-triplet energy gap of 0.04 eV. The OLED developed using m-DBCz as the emitter demonstrated electroluminescence at 548 nm and achieved a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 34.9 %. Further optimization of the device resulted in a high external quantum efficiency of 36.3 % and extremely low efficiency roll-off, with EQE values of 30.1 % and 27.7 % obtained even at high luminance levels of 50 000 and 100 000 cd m⁻². These results demonstrate the full potential of MR-TADF materials for applications on ultrahigh-luminance OLEDs.     

Al-centered functionalized inorganic–organic hybrid sorbent containing N and S donor atoms for effective removal of cadmium

A new aluminium-incorporated layered inorganic–organic hybrid material (Al-GPTS-TU) has been successfully synthesized by using sol–gel based precursor under mild temperature condition and silylaing agent (GPTS-TU) derived from the reaction of 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTS) and thiourea (TU). The hybrid material was characterized by using various instrumentation techniques and the result confirmed the attachment of organic functionality to the inorganic silicon network. The inter-lamellar distance for the hybrid material was found to be 41.33 Å. The synthesized hybrid was used for the removal of cadmium from dilute aqueous solution with variation of solution parameters. Thermodynamic parameters ΔH and ΔS, evaluated for the adsorption of cadmium from water solution, were found to be 73.68 kJ mol^?1 and 282.9 J mol^?1 K^?1, respectively, indicating adsorption process to be endothermic in nature. The negative value of ΔG indicated the feasibility and spontaneity of ongoing adsorption process. The hybrid material containing multiple coordination sites such as S and N in the attached organic functionality can find potential applications for the removal of various metal toxicants from water bodies to prevent the eco-system.     

Iron (III) nanocomposites for enzyme-less biomimetic cathode: A promising material for use in biofuel cells

In this paper, we discuss the synthesis and electrochemical properties of a new material based on iron oxide nanoparticles stabilized with poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDAC); this material can be used as a biomimetic cathode material for the reduction of H₂O₂ in biofuel cells. A metastable phase of iron oxide and iron hydroxide nanoparticles (PDAC–FeOOH/Fe₂O₃-NPs) was synthesized through a single procedure. On the basis of the Stokes–Einstein equation, colloidal particles (diameter: 20 nm) diffused at a considerably slow rate (D = 0.9 × 10^? 11 m s^? 1) as compared to conventional molecular redox systems. The quasi-reversible electrochemical process was attributed to the oxidation and reduction of Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ from PDAC–FeOOH/Fe₂O₃-NPs; in a manner similar to redox enzymes, it acted as a pseudo-prosthetic group. Further, PDAC–FeOOH/Fe₂O₃-NPs was observed to have high electrocatalytic activity for H₂O₂ reduction along with a significant overpotential shift, ΔE = 0.68 V from ? 0.29 to 0.39 V, in the presence and absence of PDAC–FeOOH/Fe₂O₃-NPs. The abovementioned iron oxide nanoparticles are very promising as candidates for further research on biomimetic biofuel cells, suggesting two applications: the preparation of modified electrodes for direct use as cathodes and use as a supporting electrolyte together with H₂O₂.     

Synthesis and photovoltaic properties of new europium complex Eu（DBM）3（CPyBM）

A new europium（Ⅲ） complex, tris（dibertzoylmethanate）{ 1-[9-hexyl-9-carbazole]-2-（2-pyridyl）-bertzimidazole}europium（Ⅲ） [Eu（DBM）a（CPyBM）] was synthesized and used as an electron-acceptor and electron-transport layer in organic photovoltaic （PV） device. Power conversion efficiency achieved from the device was 1.04% under illumination with 365 nm UV light at 1.6 mW/cm^2. Compared with the previous reported devices based on Eu（Ⅲ） complexes, the PV performances were improved. The working mechanism of the organic PV device was discussed.