Modulatory spin-flip of triplet excitons via diversiform electron-donating units for MR-TADF emitters towards solution-processed narrowband OLEDs.

Abstract

Multiple resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) molecules are emerging as promising candidates for high-resolution organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, but MR-TADF emitters always suffer from an unsatisfactory rate constant of reverse intersystem crossing (k RISC) due to inherently low spin orbital coupling strength between excited singlet and triplet states. Herein, we systematically investigate the long-range charge transfer (LRCT) and heavy-atom effects on modulating the excited state natures and energy levels via integrating diversiform electron-donating units with the MR skeleton. Compared with unsubstituted analogues, newly designed MR-TADF emitters exhibit significantly boosted k RISC values and close-to-unity photoluminescence quantum yield especially for tBuCzBN-PXZ (2.5 × 105 s-1) and tBuCzBN-Ph-PSeZ (2.1 × 105 s-1). Leveraging these exceptional properties, the maximum external quantum efficiency values of tBuCzBN-PXZ- and tBuCzBN-Ph-PSeZ-based solution-processed OLEDs can reach 21.3% and 19.4%, which are in the first tier of reported solution-processed MR-TADF binary OLEDs without employing additional sensitizers. This study provides a framework for modulating photoelectrical properties of MR-TADF emitters through fastidiously regulating LRCT and heavy-atom effects.