Fabrication Of Light-emitting Diodes Research Articles

Red Fluorescent Carbon Dots with Alkyl Chain Achieving Stable Electroluminescence via an In Situ Electric Excitation

AbstractThe energy barrier between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of the emission layer (EML) and the hole transport layer material (HTL) restricts the development of carbon dots (CDs) based light‐emitting diodes (LEDs). Here, the fabrication of red fluorescent CDs (RCDs) by a one‐step solvothermal method is reported. These RCDs have a photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 47.97% and a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 26 nm. This study also shows the RCDs‐based LEDs fabrication with Poly(9,9‐dioctylfluorene‐co‐N‐(4‐butylphenyl) diphenylamine (TFB) as HTL. In normal case, these devices are not able to work due to the large interfacial energy barrier between RCDs and TFB. While, the RCDs‐LEDs can overcome through interfacial energy barriers and achieve stable carrier injecting by a simple in situ electric excitation at the current of 50 mA cm−2. This work provides a new strategy to overcome the obstacle of mismatch of interfacial energy levels in the LEDs by an in situ electric excitation.

Highly efficiency blue emissive from Bi3+ ions in zero-dimensional organic bismuth halide for white LED applications

Zero-dimensional organic-inorganic metal halides (OMHs) attract increasing interest in the fabrication of light-emitting diodes because of their broad emission band and high photoluminescence quantum yield. Thus, almost all OMHs showed green and yellow emissions, while blue was rarely reported. The luminescence mechanism of OMHs was attributed to the self-trapped excitons (STEs), no matter the similar performances between STEs and translations from energy levels of ns2 ions (Sb3+, Bi3+, and Te4+ ions). In this work, zero-dimensional organic tetraphenylphosphonium bismuth chloride TPP2BiCl5 (C48H40P2BiCl5, abbreviated as TBC, TPP=tetraphenylphosphonium.) was synthesized via the antisolvent method The obtained TBC showed the highest efficiency (58%) in blue light emission at 480 nm. While most of the OMHs function according to the STE mechanism, the emission of TBC was confirmed to originate from the 3P1-1S0 transition of Bi3+ ions. The white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) with a color rendering index of 81 were fabricated by using a near-ultraviolet (NUV) chip, blue emitting single crystal TBC, green-emitting single crystal TPP2MnCl4 (C48H40P2MnCl4, abbreviated as TMC), and red-emitting single crystal TPP2SbCl5 (C48H40P2SbCl5, abbreviated as TSC). Moreover, the single-component white emission was achieved by doping Mn2+ and Sb3+ ions into the lattice of TBC. This work demonstrates the different emission mechanism of ns2 ions based OMHs, and the great potential of bismuth-based OMHs in the applications of WLEDs.

Improved thermal stability and quantum efficiency of novel cyan phosphors toward full-visible-spectrum lighting

Highly efficient cyan phosphors have been identified as essential components in addressing the cyan gap present in the emission spectra of traditional white light emitting diodes. Here, we report novel Ba4Ca1-yLay(PO4)3Cl:Eu2+ (y = 0–0.15) phosphors with broadband cyan emission based on an efficient and positive cationic heterovalent substitution strategy. Under the near ultraviolet excitation, the quantum yield and thermal stability are progressively enhanced by introducing La3+ to replace the Ca2+ ions, owing to the band gap and killer centers engineering. The Ba3.92Ca0.9La0.1(PO4)3Cl:0.08Eu2+ phosphor exhibits a pronounced emission band in the cyan-green spectral range with a high internal quantum efficiency of 88.0% and an impressive external quantum efficiency of 72.1%. The utilization of Ba3.92Ca0.9La0.1(PO4)3Cl:0.08Eu2+ as the cyan emitting component in the fabrication of white light-emitting diode (WLED) has demonstrated remarkable advancements in the color rendering index value, emphasizing the potential of these phosphors for future implementation in the next generation full-visible-spectrum WLED lighting. Our findings offer evidences that defect engineering techniques effectively enhance the performance of light-emitting diode (LED) phosphors.

Exceptional Thermochemical Stability of Graphene on N-Polar GaN for Remote Epitaxy.

In this study, we investigate the thermochemical stability of graphene on the GaN substrate for metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD)-based remote epitaxy. Despite excellent physical properties of GaN, making it a compelling choice for high-performance electronic and light-emitting device applications, the challenge of thermochemical decomposition of graphene on a GaN substrate at high temperatures has obstructed the achievement of remote homoepitaxy via MOCVD. Our research uncovers an unexpected stability of graphene on N-polar GaN, thereby enabling the MOCVD-based remote homoepitaxy of N-polar GaN. Our comparative analysis of N- and Ga-polar GaN substrates reveals markedly different outcomes: while a graphene/N-polar GaN substrate produces releasable microcrystals (μCs), a graphene/Ga-polar GaN substrate yields nonreleasable thin films. We attribute this discrepancy to the polarity-dependent thermochemical stability of graphene on the GaN substrate and its subsequent reaction with hydrogen. Evidence obtained from Raman spectroscopy, electron microscopic analyses, and overlayer delamination points to a pronounced thermochemical stability of graphene on N-polar GaN during MOCVD-based remote homoepitaxy. Molecular dynamics simulations, corroborated by experimental data, further substantiate that the thermochemical stability of graphene is reliant on the polarity of GaN, due to different reactions with hydrogen at high temperatures. Based on the N-polar remote homoepitaxy of μCs, the practical application of our findings was demonstrated in fabrication of flexible light-emitting diodes composed of p-n junction μCs with InGaN heterostructures.

Tuning the Shades of Red Emission in InP/ZnSe/ZnS Nanocrystals with Narrow Full Width for Fabrication of Light-Emitting Diodes.

While Cd-based luminescent nanocrystals (NCs) are the most mature NCs for fabricating efficient red light-emitting diodes (LEDs), their toxicity related limitation is inevitable, making it necessary to find a promising alternative. From this point of view, multishell-coated, red-emissive InP-based NCs are excellent luminescent nanomaterials for use as an emissive layer in electroluminescent (EL) devices. However, due to the presence of oxidation states, they suffer from a wide emission spectrum, which limits their performance. This study uses tris(dimethylamino)phosphine (3DMA-P) as a low-cost aminophosphine precursor and a double HF treatment to suggest an upscaled, cost-effective, and one-pot hot-injection synthesis of purely red-emissive InP-based NCs. The InP core structures were coated with thick layers of ZnSe and ZnS shells to prevent charge delocalization and to create a narrow size distribution. The purified NCs showed an intense emission signal as narrow as 43 nm across the entire red wavelength range (626-670 nm) with an emission quantum efficiency of 74% at 632 nm. The purified samples also showed an emission quantum efficiency of 60% for far-red wavelengths of 670 nm with a narrow full width of 50 nm. The samples showed a relatively long average emission lifetime of 50-70 ns with a biexponential decay profile. To demonstrate the practical ability of the prepared NCs in optoelectronics, we fabricated a red-emissive InP-based LEDs. The best-performing device showed an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 1.16%, a luminance of 1039 cd m-2, and a current efficiency of 0.88 cd A-1.

CsPbBr3 Nanocrystals as Efficient Photocatalysts for Dehydrohalogenation: Toward Environmentally Friendly Trichloroethylene Synthesis.

The demand for a benign alternative to energy-intensive industrial chemical transformations is critical. Lead halide perovskites have emerged as promising candidates due to their unique optoelectronic properties, including high absorption coefficients in the visible region, tunable band gaps, and long charge carrier-diffusion lengths. In this study, we present a model reaction to showcase the photocatalytic utility of perovskite nanocrystals (NCs). Specifically, we demonstrate the synthesis of trichloroethylene (TCEt) from 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (TCE) using CsPbBr3 NCs under white light illumination. The band-edge positions of the NCs and the redox potential of TCE enable efficient electron transfer for C-Cl bond activation. Furthermore, while ensuring operational stability, CsPbBr3 NCs undergo light-controlled modification, leading to the formation of mixed-halide perovskite (CsPbBrxCl3-x) NCs during the reaction. This procedure yields a mixed-halide perovskite that maintains stability while containing the desired halide content. Additionally, the reaction produces HBr as a byproduct, serving as a self-cleaning technique to eliminate excess Br- ions from the solution. Ultimately, we achieve nearly 100% conversion of CsPbBr3 to pure CsPbCl3 NCs, with a full width at half-maximum of approximately 11.2 nm. Our clean and efficient approach to synthesizing TCEt using perovskite NCs provides interesting insights into violet light-emitting diode (LED) fabrication and color patterning. This study highlights the promising potential of perovskite materials for sustainable chemical transformations and optoelectronic applications.

Bilayer phosphine oxide modification toward efficient and large-area pure-blue perovskite quantum dot light-emitting diodes

Blue emissive halide perovskite light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are gaining increasing attention. Reducing defects in halide perovskites to improve the performance of the resulting LEDs is a main research direction, but there are limited passivation methods for achieving efficient and spectrally-stable pure-blue LEDs based on mixed-halide perovskites. In this work, double modification layers containing phosphine oxides, i.e., diphenyl[4-(triphenylsilyl)phenyl]phosphine oxide (TSPO1) and 2,7-bis(diphenylphosphoryl)-9,9′-spirobifluorene (SPPO13), are developed to passivate mixed-halide perovskite quantum dot (QD) films. The comprehensive spectroscopic and structural characterization results indicate the presence of strong interactions between TSPO1/SPPO13 and the QDs. Besides, the combination of the bilayer exhibits a synergistic hole-blocking effect, improving the charge balance of the LEDs. LEDs based on the QD/TSPO1/SPPO13 films deliver stable electroluminesence at 469 nm and present a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) and luminance of 4.87% and 560 cd m−2, respectively. Benefiting from the uniform QD/TSPO1/SPPO13 film over a large area, LEDs with an area of 64 mm2 show a maximum EQE of 3.91%, which represents the first efficient large-area mixed-halide perovskite LED with stable pure-blue emission. This work provides a method to improve the perovskite QDs-based film quality and optoelectronic properties, and is a step toward the fabrication of highly-efficient large-area blue perovskite LEDs.

Metal Halide Perovskite Light-Emitting Transistor with Tunable Emission Based on Electrically Doped Semiconductor Nanocrystal-Based Microcavities

Electroluminescence of metal halide perovskites has been widely reported via the fabrication and optimization of light-emitting diodes and light-emitting transistors. Light-emitting transistors are particularly interesting owing to the additional control of the gate voltage on the electroluminescence. In this work, the design of a microcavity, with a defect mode that can be tuned with an applied voltage, integrated with a metal halide light-emitting transistor is shown. The optical properties of the device have been simulated with the transfer matrix method, considering the wavelength-dependent refractive indexes of all the employed materials. The tunability of the microcavity has been obtained via the employment of doped semiconductor nanocrystalline films, which show a tunable plasma frequency and, thus, a tunable refractive index as a function of the applied voltage. Consequently, the tunability of the electroluminescence of the metal halide perovskite light-emitting transistor has been demonstrated.

High-Efficiency and Emission-Tunable Inorganic Blue Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Vacuum Deposition.

The fabrication of perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) with vacuum deposition shows great potential and commercial value in realizing large-area display panel manufacturing. However, the electroluminescence (EL) performance of vacuum-deposited PeLEDs still lags behind the counterparts fabricated by solution process, especially in the field of blue PeLEDs. Here, the fabrication of high-quality CsPbBr3- x Clx film through tri-source co-evaporation is reported to achieve high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). Compared with the conventional traditional dual-source co-evaporation, the tri-source co-evaporation method allows for freely adjustable elemental ratios, enabling the introduction of the lattice-matched Cs4 Pb(Br/Cl)6 phase with the quantum-limited effect into the inorganic CsPb(Br/Cl)3 emitter. By adjusting the phase distribution, the surface defects of the emitter can be effectively reduced, leading to better blue emission and film quality. Further, the effects of Cs/Pb ratio and Br/Cl ratio on the PLQY and carrier recombination dynamics of perovskite films are investigated. By optimizing the deposition rate of each precursor source, spectrally stable blue PeLEDs are achieved with tunable emission ranging from 468 to 488nm. Particularly, the PeLEDs with an EL peak at 488nm show an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 4.56%, which is the highest EQE value for mixed-halide PeLEDs fabricated by vacuum deposition.

Durable organic nonlinear optical membranes for thermotolerant lightings and in vivo bioimaging

Organic nonlinear optical materials have potential in applications such as lightings and bioimaging, but tend to have low photoluminescent quantum yields and are prone to lose the nonlinear optical activity. Herein, we demonstrate to weave large-area, flexible organic nonlinear optical membranes composed of 4-N,N-dimethylamino-4ʹ-Nʹ-methyl-stilbazolium tosylate@cyclodextrin host-guest supramolecular complex. These membranes exhibited a record high photoluminescence quantum yield of 73.5%, and could continuously emit orange luminescence even being heated at 300 °C, thus enabling the fabrication of thermotolerant light-emitting diodes. The nonlinear optical property of these membranes can be well-preserved even in polar environment. The supramolecular assemblies with multiphoton absorption characteristics were used for in vivo real-time imaging of Escherichia coli at 1000 nm excitation. These findings demonstrate to achieve scalable fabrication of organic nonlinear optical materials with high photoluminescence quantum yields, and good stability against thermal stress and polar environment for high-performance, durable optoelectronic devices and humanized multiphoton bio-probes.

Sub-micro organic light emitting diode arrays defined by tip-induced resist hollow structures

Fabrication of micro-nanoscaled organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with uniformity and scalability has emerged as a promising technology in next-generation displays and light sources. Patterning polymer resist into well-defined structures is a crucial step in the fabrication of optoelectronic device arrays, especially for cost-effectively fabricating lithographical sub-micro resist structures. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) ploughing is promising for patterning high-resolution polymer resist structures owing to nanoscaled resolution, high controllability, with relatively low cost under flexible working conditions. However, the defects of structures resulting from polymer debris contamination or spin-coated film exfoliation in ploughing procedure limit their further application in fabrication of device arrays. Herein, lithographical poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) resist patterns in micro-nanoscale with excellent reproducibility and uniformity are achieved via AFM mechanical ploughing at the optimized lithography conditions. Taking use of the isolated PMMA cavities as current channels, we fabricate prototype OLED arrays with pixels of 500 nm and 1 μm. This work paves the way for developing a tip-based mechanical lithography approach to fabricate micro-nanoscaled optoelectronic devices in a simple and low-cost way.

Fabrication of Highly Luminescent Quasi Two-Dimensional CsPbBr3 Perovskite Films in High Humidity Air for Light-Emitting Diodes.

Perovskite light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have attracted extensive attention in recent years due to their outstanding performance and promise in lighting and display applications. However, the fabrication of perovskite LEDs usually requires a low-humidity atmosphere, which is unfavorable for industrial production. Herein, we report an effective strategy to fabricate highly luminescent quasi two-dimensional CsPbBr3 perovskite films in an ambient atmosphere with a humidity up to 60%. We reveal that the hole transport layer (HTL) plays a significant role in the morphology and optical properties of the perovskite films. Using hydrophobic self-assembled monolayer materials as HTLs can remarkably improve the quality of the perovskite films processed in high humidity air. The resultant perovskite LEDs show reduced leakage current and significantly enhanced performance. Furthermore, surface treatment is conducted to prevent water invasion and promote radiative recombination in perovskite films and LEDs. Eventually, the perovskite LEDs exhibit bright green emission with an external quantum efficiency of 4.87%. The present work provides a feasible pathway to overcome the humidity limitation for obtaining bright perovskite films and LEDs, which would contribute to further reducing the fabrication cost of perovskite LEDs and promoting their applications.

Coprecipitation Methodology Synthesis of Cobalt-Oxide Nanomaterials Influenced by pH Conditions: Opportunities in Optoelectronic Applications

The cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanomaterials were prepared by coprecipitation synthesis technique by maintaining the pH of the mother solution at 7, 8, and 9. The prepared nanomaterials were subjected to structural and optical characterizations, and the results were examined. The optical absorption spectral studies reveal that the two absorption bands indicate ligand–metal coordination. The photoluminescence spectra contain emission peak at 488 and 745 nm due to size and shape of the synthesized materials. The magnetic nature of the samples was identified from the hysteresis loop traced by vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum of Co3O4 nanomaterials reveals two sharp bands absorbed in 584 and 666 cm-1. This ascribes to the Co-O and O-Co-O stretching, respectively. As the pH of the solution varied from 7 to 10, the SEM image authenticates the transformation of Co3O4 nanomaterials morphology from spherical to cubic to agglomerated shape. From the UV-Vis spectra, two absorption bands around 473 nm and 762 nm are observed for the materials prepared at pH 7 and 8. But at pH 9, these two peaks were shifted towards higher wavelengths 515 nm and 777 nm. The observed ferromagnetic nature of Co3O4 nanomaterials clearly show the role of surface spins and surface morphology on the magnetic properties of Co3O4 nanomaterials. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves show the rectangular type of voltammogram. This is an indication of good charge propagation with the electrodes. The Nyquist plots of Co3O4 nanomaterials have a semicircle in the high frequency region and a vertical line in the low frequency region. The results suggest that Co3O4 is found to be a promising material for the fabrication of light-emitting diodes, solar cells, and optoelectronic devices.

Bright and Efficient Light-Emitting Devices Based on 2D Transition Metal Dichalcogenides.

2D monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) show great promise for the development of next-generation light-emitting devices owing to their unique electronic and optoelectronic properties. The dangling-bond-free surface and direct-bandgap structure of monolayer TMDCs allow for near-unity photoluminescence quantum efficiencies. The excellent mechanical and optical characteristics of 2D TMDCs offer great potential to fabricate TMDC-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) featuring good flexibility and transparency. Great progress has been made in the fabrication of bright and efficient LEDs with varying device structures. In this review, the aim is to provide a comprehensive summary of the state-of-the-art progress made in the construction of bright and efficient LEDs based on 2D TMDCs. After a brief introduction to the research background, the preparation of 2D TMDCs used for LEDs is briefly discussed. The requirements and the corresponding challenges to achieve bright and efficient LEDs based on 2D TMDCs are introduced. Thereafter, various strategies to enhance the brightness of monolayer 2D TMDCs are described. Following that, the carrier-injection schemes enabling bright and efficient TMDC-based LEDs along with the device performance are summarized. Finally, the challenges and future prospects regarding the accomplishment of TMDC-LEDs with ultimate brightness and efficiency are discussed.

Blue-yellow emissive LaAlO<sub>3</sub>:Dy<sup>3+</sup> phosphor for high bright white light-emitting diodes

LaAlO3:Dy3+ (LAO:Dy3+) with blue-yellow emission for brilliant white light of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) was prepared using gel-combustion process. The chemical content of the created material was confirmed using energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The transmission electron microscopy was used to examine the phosphor crystal size and morphology. The luminescence analysis showed that LAO:Dy3+ phosphors exhibited peaks at 482 nm (blue) and 574 nm (yellow), attributed to the transitions 4F 9/2à6H 15/2 and 4F 9/2à6H 13/2, respectively. The investigating of correlated color temperature (CCT) and Commission International de L'Eclairage (CIE) described that the phosphor LAO:Dy3+ helped to attained good CCT coordination and bright cool-white emission under ultraviolet (UV) stimulation. However, when using in white LED fabrication, the concentration of LAO:Dy3+ should be modified to fulfill the need from manufactures. According to results from this work, the white light luminescence intensity and color rendering performance may be reduced if the LAO:Dy3+ is high (10%) because of too much scattering. On the other hand, such scattering improvements offered by LAO:Dy3+ phosphor is beneficial to reduce the color deviance for better color uniformity of light.

Theoretical investigations of optoelectronic and transport properties of halide based K2YAuX6 (X = Cl, Br) double perovskites

Intriguing optoelectronic and transport properties with huge compositional range and structural stability make double perovskites interesting for energy harvesting technologies. Here we theoretically investigate the structural, optical, mechanical, and transport properties of K2YAuX6 (X = Cl, Br) double perovskites using the WIEN2K code. Based on the calculated values of the tolerance factor and enthalpy of production, the thermodynamic and structural stability is affirmed. The ductile nature of these compositions is revealed in the computation of Poisson’s ratio (>0.26) and Pugh’s (1.75) ratio. The involvement of s-states of K, p-states of Cl/Br, and d-states of Y and Au in the formation of valence and conduction band edges is exhibited from the density of state plots. Using the Tran-Blaha mBJ potential and spin-orbital coupling, the energy bandgap value for K2YAuCl6 and K2YAuBr6 is reported as 3.20, and 2.70 eV, respectively, which is suitable for the fabrication of light-emitting diodes. Optical behavior is further explored regarding complex dielectric constant, refractive index, optical conductivity, optical loss, and absorption factor. The small value of thermal conductivity with large value of electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, power factor, and figure of merit revealed the potential of these materials for the fabrication of light-emitting diodes and thermoelectric generators.

Increasing the Performance and Stability of Red-Light-Emitting Diodes Using Guanidinium Mixed-Cation Perovskite Nanocrystals.

Halide perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) exhibit growing attention in optoelectronics due to their fascinating color purity and improved intrinsic properties. However, structural defects emerging in PNCs progressively hinder the radiative recombination and carrier transfer dynamics, limiting the performance of light-emitting devices. In this work, we explored the introduction of guanidinium (GA+) during the synthesis of high-quality Cs1-xGAxPbI3 PNCs as a promising approach for the fabrication of efficient bright-red light-emitting diodes (R-LEDs). The substitution of Cs by 10 mol % GA allows the preparation of mixed-cation PNCs with PLQY up to 100% and long-term stability for 180 days, stored under air atmosphere and refrigerated condition (4 °C). Here, GA+ cations fill/replace Cs+ positions into the PNCs, compensating intrinsic defect sites and suppressing the nonradiative recombination pathway. LEDs fabricated with this optimum material show an external quantum efficiency (EQE) near to 19%, at an operational voltage of 5 V (50-100 cd/m2) and an operational half-time (t50) increased 67% respect CsPbI3 R-LEDs. Our findings show the possibility to compensate the deficiency through A-site cation addition during the material synthesis, obtaining less defective PNCs for efficient and stable optoelectronic devices.

Micropatterning of Quantum Dots for Biofunctionalization and Nanoimaging

Micron-scale patterning of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) is extremely important for the fabrication of high-performance Quantum dot Light-Emitting Diode (QLED) displays, biosensing, and super-resolution imaging. Thus, several nondestructive methods have been recently proposed, such as spatial self-organization. However, none of them can be useful for biofunctionalization or nanoimaging. To address this limitation, we propose a method to create micropatterns of QDs of any shape and size. UV photolithography assisted by a digital micromirror device (DMD) and silanization allow creating an adhesive layer, on which QDs micropatterns can be assembled with a 2 μm resolution. The patterns are composed of a monolayer of CdSe/CdS/CdZnS/ZnS core/multishell QDs (7 ± 1 nm in diameter, emitting at 590 nm) with a high surface density (typically 4000 QDs/μm2). We also demonstrate that it is possible to reversibly bind any kind of His-Tagged proteins on the QDs surface. This is highlighted by measuring FRET (Förster Resonance Energy Transfer) with a dedicated polymer exhibiting on one end Alexa Fluor 647 (AF647) and on the other end eight imidazole cycles, allowing chelation on the quantum dots’ surface. Therefore, this patterning protocol provides a path to combine nanoimaging with cell patterning through a relevant biofunctionalization.

True- to Sky-Blue Emitters Bearing the Thiazolo[5,4-d]thiazole Electron Acceptor for Single and Tandem Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

A series of emitters displaying efficient photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) into the true- to sky-blue regions is herein described and employed as electroluminescent materials for the fabrication of efficient blue organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The compounds possess linear, yet a twisted, donor−π–acceptor−π–donor (D−π–A−π–D) architecture, where D and A are a (substituted) carbazole (Cz) and thiazolo[5,4-d]thiazole (TzTz) moiety as the electron donor and accepting unit, respectively. D = 9H-carbazol-9-yl and 3,6-di-tert-butyl-9H-carbazol-9-yl for compounds TzTz-PCz2 and TzTz-PtbCz2, respectively. In dilute CH2Cl2 solutions, both compounds display intense (PL quantum yield = 60–74%) and short-lived (τ = ca. 0.8–2.0 ns) luminescence arising from an intramolecular charge-transfer (1ICT) excited state and falling into the sky-blue to the greenish-blue region (λem = 448–502 nm). Compared to the previously reported TzTz-TPA parental emitters that features two triphenylamine (TPA) donor groups, the highly twisted nature and less extended π-conjugation of the donor–acceptor TzTz-PCz2 and TzTz-PtbCz2 counterparts herein presented enable to widen the HOMO–LUMO energy gaps and warrant blue shifting of the emission. Finally, OLED devices fabricated by employing the herein proposed emitters are presented as well with both single- and tandem-device architectures. The so-prepared OLEDs display true-blue to sky-blue EL peaking at λEL,max = 460 nm (TzTz-PCz2) and 467–470 nm (TzTz-PtbCz2) and achieve maximum external quantum efficiency and luminance of 10.2% and 44,851 cd m–2 (for TzTz-PtbCz2) in the case of a tandem device, respectively, with a mitigated roll-off efficiency. These results demonstrate that the tandem device employing these TzTz donor–acceptor blue emitters raises the feasibility of fluorescent compounds to compete with other potential emitters in practical applications.

Conventional and Inverted Light-Emitting Diodes with 386 nm Emission Wavelength Based on Metal-Free Carbon Dots

Ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are of great concern due to wide applications in the fields of solid-state displays, photocommunication, and scientific and medical instruments. During the past 10 years, organic and inorganic semiconductors have made great breakthroughs in short-wavelength emission. Nowadays, carbon dots (CDs), which possess distinctive superiorities of high stability, nontoxicity, and low cost, are promising all-band emission materials for the next generation of LEDs. However, the fabrication of CD-based LEDs (CD-LEDs) with emission wavelengths below 400 nm is still a huge limitation in this field. Herein, we prepared UV emission CDs with the photoluminescence emission wavelength of 371 nm. The UV-CDs are perfectly compatible with both conventional and inverted device structures so as to realize the currently shortest electroluminescent emission wavelength of 386 nm for CD-LEDs. The conventional UV-CD-LEDs possess the optimum luminance of 268 cd m-2 (5427 W sr-1 m-2) with an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 1.115%. Meanwhile, the inverted UV-CD-LEDs possess the optimum luminance of 132 cd m-2 (2673 W sr-1 m-2) with an EQE of 0.869%. This work paves a new road to manufacture carbon nanomaterial-based UV emission devices with high luminance, EQE, and stability.