Delayed Fluorescence Organic Light-emitting Diodes Research Articles

Selective Enhancement of Viewing Angle Characteristics and Light Extraction Efficiency of Blue Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Organic Light-Emitting Diodes through an Easily Tailorable Si3N4 Nanofiber Structure.

We selectively improved the viewing angle characteristics and light extraction efficiency of blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) by tailoring a nanofiber-shaped Si3N4 layer, which was used as an internal scattering layer. The diameter of the polymer nanofibers changed according to the mass ratio of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) in the polymer solution for electrospinning. The Si3N4 nanofiber (SNF) structure was fabricated by etching an Si3N4 film using the PAN/PMMA nanofiber as a mask, making it easier to adjust parameters, such as the diameter, open ratio, and height, even though the SNF structure was randomly shaped. The SNF structures exhibited lower transmittance and higher haze with increasing diameter, showing little correlation with their height. However, all the structures demonstrated a total transmittance of over 80%. Finally, by applying the SNF structures to the blue TADF OLEDs, the external quantum efficiency was increased by 15.6%. In addition, the current and power efficiencies were enhanced by 23.0% and 25.6%, respectively. The internal light-extracting SNF structure also exhibited a synergistic effect with the external light-extracting structure. Furthermore, when the viewing angle changed from 0° to 60°, the peak wavelength and CIE coordinate shift decreased from 20 to 6 nm and from 0.0561 to 0.0243, respectively. These trends were explained by the application of Snell's law to the light path and were ultimately validated through finite-difference time-domain simulations.

Over 30% external quantum efficiency for doping-free D-A-type thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes

The application of doping-free emitting layers in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) device fabrication has attracted extensive attention due to the simplified process and the low cost. Meanwhile, the application of interfacially doping layer (or ultrathin emissive layer, UEML) with a thickness below 1 nm showed great potential in achieving high device efficiency by reducing the aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect, which was usually observed in neat film and highly doped dopant-host system. This work developed a simple molecular design strategy via peripheral decoration of TADF emissive core with multiple shielding groups (t-butyl and aryl units) to effectively alleviate the intermolecular interaction and the ACQ effect. The resulting OLEDs based on BIPH-TPA exhibited a record-setting external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 15.8 % at 640 nm with a conventional doping-free configuration (25 nm). Furthermore, the ultrathin doping-free (0.2 nm) OLEDs based on NA-TPA achieved unprecedented EQE of 33.1 % at 620 nm. The outstanding EL performance clearly demonstrated promising potential of this molecular design strategy for the exploration of doping-free OLEDs.

High-Efficiency and Narrowband Green Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Two Diverse Boron Multi-Resonant Skeletons.

Up to now, highly efficient narrowband thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) molecules constructed by oxygen-bridged boron with an enhancing multiple resonance (MR) effect have been in urgent demand for solid-state lighting and full-color displays. In this work, a novel MR-TADF molecule, BNBO, constructed by the oxygen-bridged boron unit and boron-nitrogen core skeleton as an electron-donating moiety, is successfully designed and synthesized via a facile one-step synthesis. Based on BNBO as an efficient green emitter, the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) shows a sharp emission peak of 508 nm with a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 36 nm and realizes quite high peak efficiency values, including an external quantum efficiency (EQEmax) of 24.3% and a power efficiency (PEmax) of 62.3 lm/W. BNBO possesses the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) property of donor-acceptor (D-A) materials and multiple resonance characteristics, which provide a simple strategy for narrowband oxygen-boron materials.

Achieving efficient and stable blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes based on four-coordinate fluoroboron emitters by simple substitution molecular engineering.

Achieving both high efficiency and high stability in blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes (TADF-OLEDs) is challenging for practical displays and lighting. Here, we have successfully developed a series of sky-blue to pure-blue emitting donor-acceptor (D-A) type TADF materials featuring a four-coordinated boron with 2,2'-(pyridine-2,6-diyl)diphenolate (dppy) ligands, i.e.1-8. Synergistic engineering of substituents on the phenyl bridge as well as the electronic properties and the attached positions of heteroatom N-donors not only enables fine-tuning of the emission colors, but also modulates the nature and energies of their triplet excited states that are important for the reverse intersystem crossing (RISC). Particularly for the compound with two methyl substituents on the phenyl bridge (compound 8), RISC is significantly facilitated through the vibronic coupling of the energetically close-lying triplet charge transfer (3CT) and the triplet local excited (3LE) states, when compared to analogue 7. Efficient sky-blue to pure-blue OLEDs with electroluminescence peaks (λ EL) at 460-492 nm have been obtained, in which ca. five-fold higher external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) of 18.9% have been demonstrated by 8 than that by 7. Moreover, ca. thirty times longer device operational half-lifetimes (LT50) of 9113 hours for 8 than that for 7 as well as satisfactory LT50 reaching 26 643 hours for 6 at an initial luminance of 100 cd m-2 have also been demonstrated. To the best of our knowledge, these results represent one of the best high-performance blue OLEDs based on tetracoordinated boron TADF emitters. Moreover, the design strategy presented here has provided an attractive strategy for enhancing the device performance of blue TADF-OLEDs.

Highly efficient deep-red to near-infrared thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes using a 2,3-bis(4-cyanophenyl)quinoxaline-6,7-dicarbonitrile acceptor

The demand for deep-red (DR) or near-infrared (NIR) emitters has grown markedly owing to their essential roles in optical telecommunications, night vision-technologies, flat panel displays, bioimaging, photodynamic therapy, and sensors,...

Creation of Dual Thermally Activated Delayed-Fluorescence Exciplexes in a Bulk Emitting Layer and Its Interface with an Electron Transport Layer for Promoting the Performance of Thermally Activated Delayed-Fluorescence Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Fabricated by a Solution Process.

An exciplex, which is composed of electron donor and acceptor molecules and formed by intermolecular charge transfer, is an excited-state species that is able to emit light or transfer its energy to a lower-energy emitter. In reported exciplex-based organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), their working mechanism is to generate exciplexes either in the bulk emitting layer (bulk exciplex) or at its interface with an electron transport layer (interface exciplex); both types give promising device performance. Here, we propose a novel strategy of creating both types of exciplexes simultaneously (dual exciplexes) for the generation of more exciplexes for better device performance as indicated in the improved photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). Impressively, the dual exciplex-based device with blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitter 9,9-dimethyl-9,10-dihydroacridine-2,4,6-triphenyl-1,3,5-triazine (DMAC-TRZ) exhibits a record-high maximum external quantum efficiency (EQEmax) of 26.7% among the solution-processed TADF blue OLEDs. By further doping with the red-emitting phosphor emitter into the EML, the white device also gives a record-high EQEmax of 24.1% among the solution-processed TADF-phosphor hybrid white OLEDs (T-P WOLEDs) with the Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.34, 0.42), color rendering index of 70, and correlated color temperature of 5198 K. Furthermore, both blue and white devices show an ultralow efficiency roll-off with external quantum efficiencies at a practical brightness value of 1000 cd m-2 (EQE1000) of 25.1 and 23.9%, respectively. This is the first report of employing a dual exciplex-based OLED with excellent device performance.

Rational Molecular Design Strategy for Host Materials in Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence-OLEDs Suitable for Solution Processing.

Herein, a novel core molecule for V-shaped host molecules was synthesized, wherein two carbazoles were directly linked to cyclohexane. Cy-mCP and Cy-mCBP hosts were also successfully prepared for solution-processable thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes (TADF-OLEDs). The Cy-mCP and Cy-mCBP molecules contained a cyclohexane linker directly linked to two small molecular hosts (mCP and mCBP), exhibiting twice the molecular weight while maintaining the basic properties of a single host molecule with improved film-forming ability and solubility in organic solvents. These host materials showed superior thermal stability and high glass transition temperatures compared to lower molecular weight hosts. Green TADF-OLEDs were prepared using the two host materials and 2,4,5,6-tetra(3,6-di-tert-butylcarbazol-9-yl)-1,3-dicyanobenzene (t4CzIPN) emitter, achieving device efficiencies similar to that of a low-molecular-weight host. However, after the incorporation of a V-shaped host, superior characteristics were observed in terms of the thermal stability and operational stability of the device. The synthesis of V-shaped molecules by directly linking two carbazoles to a cyclohexane linker is promising for the development of different hosts for solution-processable OLEDs.

Unveiling the In Situ and Solvent Polymerization Engineering for Highly Efficient and Flexible Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) polymer has great potential for the construction of flexible solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). However, the relationship between polymerization engineering and device functions has rarely been reported. Here, two novel TADF polymers, P-Ph4CzCN and P-Ph5CzCN, with a small energy gap between the first excited singlet and triplet states (ΔEST; <0.16 eV) were newly developed by both solvent and in situ polymerization of a styrene component. Detailed device performance testing indicates that both polymerization strategies ensure that the TADF polymer achieves comparable high efficiencies in commonly rigid devices, and the maximum external quantum efficiencies (EQEmax) were 11.9%, 14.1%, and 16.2% for blue, green, and white OLEDs, respectively. Although in situ polymerization provides a simplified device fabrication process, which avoids the complicated synthesis and purification of the polymer, the inevitable high-temperature annealing makes it fail in a plastic substrate device. In contrast, P-Ph5CzCN achieved by solvent polymerization enables the successful fabrication of a flexible device on a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate, which was the first reported flexible OLED based on a TADF polymer. This work provides a strong guideline for the simple fabrication of TADF polymer devices and the application of TADF polymer materials in OLED flexible panels and flexible lighting.

Molecularly engineered host materials for high performance inkjet-printed thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes

Host material with appropriate thermal stability and solubility is essential for inkjet printing (IJP) organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).Herein, three new host materials with different molecular symmetries have been designed for IJP OLEDs.

Highly efficient near-infrared thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes with emission beyond 800 nm

Near-infrared emission was achievedviathe intermolecular through-space electronic coupling and intramolecular charge transfer.

A dual-locked triarylamine donor enables high-performance deep-red/NIR thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes.

Deep-red/near-infrared (DR/NIR) organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have attracted a great deal of attention due to their widespread application fields, such as night-vision devices, optical communication, and information-secured displays. However, most DR/NIR OLEDs show low electroluminescence efficiencies, hampering their applications. Herein, we constructed a high-performance DR/NIR thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitter based on an advanced dual-locked triarylamine donor (D) unit. Promisingly, such a novel D segment brings numerous advantages: a larger stereoscopic architecture, an enhanced electron-donating ability, and a stiffer molecular structure. In view of these features, the newly developed emitter DCN-DSP shows redshifted emission, a narrowed ΔEST, an enhanced PLQY value and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties, which allows for effectively alleviating concentration quenching compared to the control compound using a conventional triarylamine derivative as D units. The DCN-DSP-based OLEDs with modulated doping concentrations exhibit champion EQEs of 36.2% at 660 nm, 26.1% at 676 nm and 21.3% at 716 nm, which are record-high efficiencies among all TADF OLEDs in the similar emission ranges. This work realizes the efficiency breakthrough of DR/NIR TADF OLEDs, and such a promising molecular design approach may inspire even better DR/NIR TADF emitters in the future.

Recent endeavors and perspectives in developing solution-processable host materials for thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes

Indeed, the development of solution-processable host materials for TADF OLEDs is less explored. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the progress made in the exploration of host materials for solution-processable TADF OLEDs.

Novel benzonitrile-based AIE host with high triplet energy for highly efficient solution-processed blue TADF OLEDs

Developing high-performance host materials for blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes (TADF-OLEDs) is an effective way to improve emission efficiency through overcoming intermolecular interactions. In this work, three novel AIE-active materials with twisted donor-acceptor structures (3phCN-Cz, 3phCN-ICz and 3phCN-tCzICz) are designed and synthesized by modifying the donor unit. Encouragingly, all the molecules exhibited high triplet energies (>2.80 eV) to prevent exciton returning and aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) property for suppressing exciton quenching. Furthermore, systematic studies demonstrated that 3phCN-ICz and 3phCN-tCzICz with larger steric resistance units can not only possess good thermal and electrochemical stability but also exhibit excellent inhibition ability of intermolecular interactions, which are suitable for constructing high-efficiency solution-processed blue TADF devices. Ultimately, the 4TCzBN was employed as the blue TADF emitter, and the solution-processed OLEDs based on 3phCN-ICz achieved the maximum external quantum efficiency (EQEmax), the maximum current efficiency (CEmax), and the lowest turn-on voltage of 22.04%, 41.88 cd A−1, and 3.5 V, respectively. This work demonstrates the potential application of AIE materials with high triplet energy for solution-processed blue TADF OLEDs.

Effects of polystyrene on morphology and electrical performance of solution-processed thermally activated delayed fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes

A polymer was added to the emissive-layer (EML) solution of thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes (TADF-OLEDs) to enhance their electrical and optical performances. A blue 4CzFCN TADF emitter and m-CBP host were used with 15 wt% dopant, and 1 wt% polystyrene (PS) was added to this EML solution. The PS enhanced the surface morphology, electroluminescence (EL), and external quantum efficiency (EQE). Energy transfer between the host and the dopant material was verified by analyzing the photoluminescence and time-resolved photoluminescence. After PS treatment, the surface roughness was reduced, according to the root-mean-square value obtained using atomic force microscopy. Finally, we fabricated solution-processed TADF-based OLEDs with an EQE of 4.7% at 7.7 V and a maximum luminance of 3700 cd/m2 at 10 V.

Effects of charge mobilities and exciton blocking capabilities of charge blocking layers on the performance of organic light-emitting diodes

Blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have been fabricated using engineered charge blocking layers. It is found that the device efficiency increases with increasing the exciton blocking capability of electron blocking layer. But the device stability decreases concomitantly, mostly because the hole mobility of electron blocking layer decreases with exciton blocking capability increasing, thereby leading to the smaller width of exciton formation zone. In addition, the device stability decreases with the electron mobility of hole blocking layer decreasing, despite nearly same exciton blocking capabilities, mainly because the width of exciton formation zone decreases with the electron mobility of hole blocking layer decreasing. The width of exciton formation zone is understood based on the transit times for holes from anode to exciton formation zone and for electrons from cathode to exciton formation zone. We provide some in-depth insight useful for the delicate design of fluorescent, phosphorescent, and thermally activated delayed fluorescence OLEDs.

Customized Orthogonal Solvent System with Various Hole-Transporting Polymers for Highly Reproducible Solution-Processable Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

Recently, various hosts and emitters for solution-processable thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes (TADF-OLEDs) have been developed. However, a few studies have been conducted on hole transport materials (HTMs) with differentiated solubility characteristics for manufacturing multilayer OLEDs using a solution process. Here, three new hole transport (HT) styrene polymers, PICz, PPBCz, and PTPCz, were synthesized by radical polymerization. Each of the polymers exhibited increases in their highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) levels and better hole-transporting abilities than poly(9-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) as a reference HT polymer. Furthermore, the three HT polymers exhibited different solubilities in toluene. Therefore, it was not possible to use a toluene solution to prepare the emitting layer (EML). To overcome this problem, ethyl acetate (EA), in which the three HT polymers are insoluble, was used as an orthogonal solvent to prepare an EML solution. In EA-solution-processed green-emitting TADF-OLEDs, the three HT-polymer-based devices displayed somewhat low turn-on voltages of 2.8 V and high external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) of >23%. These values are superior to those of a device with a PVK-HT layer. In addition, the devices manufactured with the EA solution showed high-performance reproducibility owing to the stable formation of each layer. In this study, we removed the HTM solubility constraint by dramatically changing the solvent for preparing the EML solution and provided an efficient strategy for the fabrication of OLED devices via solution processes in the future.

Isomer engineering of universal electron transport materials for suppressed exciton quenching in organic light-emitting diodes

A regioisomer of 2,7-bis(4,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-9,9′-spirobi[fluorene] (m-SBFTrz), 3,6-bis(4,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-9,9′-spirobi[fluorene] (p-SBFTrz) was developed as a high triplet energy electron transport material by engineering the substitution position of diphenyltriazine to the spirobifluorene core. The p-SBFTrz showed great potential as an electron transport and exciton blocking materials in various devices such as thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and phosphorescence OLEDs due to increased triplet energy. A large improvement of the external quantum efficiency was achieved using the p-SBFTrz instead of m-SBFTrz by completely suppressing exciton quenching.

Creating efficient delayed fluorescence luminogens with acridine-based spiro donors to improve horizontal dipole orientation for high-performance OLEDs

Developing high-performance organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with high external quantum efficiency (ηext) and low efficiency roll-off is an unremitting goal, which greatly relies on the exploration of robust luminescent materials. Herein, we report a series of new delayed fluorescence luminogens built with acridine-based spiro donors and benzophenone acceptor. These luminogens have distinct merits of excellent thermal stability, aggregation-enhanced delayed fluorescence, high photoluminescence quantum yields, preferable horizontal dipole orientation and balanced bipolar charge transport. The presence of spiro donors endows the luminogens with large horizontal orientation ratios and thus high light out-coupling efficiencies. The OLEDs based on these luminogens radiate intense green light (504–512 nm) and furnish outstanding ηext values of up to 32.2% and small efficiency roll-offs, which are among the state-of-the-art delayed fluorescence OLEDs with ηexts over 30%, demonstrating their great potentials in the fabrication of highly efficient OLEDs.

Aryl-Annulated [3,2-a] Carbazole-Based Deep-Blue Soluble Emitters for High-Efficiency Solution-Processed Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Organic Light-Emitting Diodes with CIEy

In this study, we demonstrated two deep-blue TADF emitters, BO-tCzPhICz and BO-tCzDICz, for solution-processable thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes (TADF-OLEDs). They were synthesized by employing an organoboron acceptor and 9-(3,6-di-tert-butyl-9H-carbazol-9-yl)-5-phenyl-5,12-dihydroindolo[3,2-a]carbazole (tCzPhICz) and 12-(3,6-di-tert-butyl-9H-carbazol-9-yl)-15H-diindolo[2,3-b:1',2',3'-lm]carbazole (tCzDICz) as bulky aryl-annulated [3,2-a] carbazole donors, respectively. Both emitters showed sufficient solubility in organic solvents, narrow deep-blue emission, and small energy difference (ΔEST) between singlet and triplet states, which can be applied to solution-processable deep-blue TADF-OLEDs. Solution-processed OLEDs exploiting these TADF emitters displayed deep-blue electroluminescence with CIEy <0.1, and high external quantum efficiencies of 17.8 and 14.8% were observed for BO-tCzPhICz and BO-tCzDICz, respectively. The emitter bearing bulky ICz-based donating units shows highly promising potential for high-efficiency solution-processable deep-blue TADF-OLEDs.

Novel V-Shaped Bipolar Host Materials for Solution-Processed Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence OLEDs.

Three V-shaped host molecules with a cyclohexane linker were successfully synthesized for thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes (TADF-OLEDs). The unipolar host molecules, BBCzC and BTDC, contained two 9-phenyl-9H-3,9'-bicarbazole (PBCz) moieties and two 2,12-di-tert-butyl-7-phenyl-5,9-dioxa-13b-boranaphtho[3,2,1-de]anthracene (PDBNA) moieties, respectively. BCzTC, a bipolar host molecule, consisted of a donor unit, PBCz, and an acceptor unit, PDBNA, connected by a cyclohexane linker. Three host molecules showed good solubility in various organic solvents, making them suitable for solution processing. Among the solution-processed green TADF-OLEDs using three host molecules and a green TADF emitter, the one with BCzTC showed the highest external quantum efficiency of up to 30% with a high power efficiency of 71 lm W-1 and a current efficiency of 102 cd A-1. Compared with BBCzC and BTDC, BCzTC exhibited a relatively high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), an excellent balance in hole and electron transport properties in the emitting layer, and more efficient energy transfer to the emitter, giving such an excellent device performance.