High Photoluminescence Efficiency Research Articles

High‐Efficiency Deep‐Blue Solution‐Processed Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes Using Carbazole Dendrons Modified Hybridized Local and Charge‐Transfer Emitters

In the pursuit of efficient and cost‐effective organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs), the development of solution‐processed hybridized local and charge transfer (HLCT) emitters presents a promising approach. HLCT materials uniquely integrate the advantages of both singlet and triplet excitons, surpassing the traditional spin statistical limit of 25% while offering high photoluminescence efficiency and balanced charge transport properties. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of two new deep blue, solution‐processable HLCT fluorophores, G1FTPI and G2FTPI. These compounds incorporate fluorenyl carbazole dendron units into the HLCT luminogenic triphenylamine‐phenanthroimidazole (TPI) molecule. Their HLCT and photoluminescence (PL) properties were experimentally and theoretically investigated using solvation effects and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The molecules exhibit deep blue emission with a high solid‐state fluorescence quantum yield, good solution‐processed film‐forming quality, and high hole mobility values of 2.18 – 2.61 × 10‐6 cm2 V‐1s‐1. Both compounds were successfully employed as non‐doped emissive layers in solution‐processed OLEDs, demonstrating excellent electroluminescent (EL) performance. Notably, the G2FTPI‐based device emitted a deep blue light at 432 nm with CIE coordinates of (0.158, 0.098) and achieved a a maximum current efficiency (CEmax) of 3.13 cd A‐1 and a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQEmax) of 5.30%.

High-Performance Multicolor Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Based on a Pt(II) Carbene Complex Featuring Hemiligand Interaction.

Utilizing a single organic light-emitting diode (OLED) architecture for multicolor emissions can significantly simplify manufacturing progress and broaden applications. Here, we report on a carbene-based Pt(II) complex, designated as Pt(pyiOppy), which exhibits an unusual dimeric packing mode solely by hemiligand π···π stacking. This feature is distinct from the well-known Pt···Pt or Pt···ligand interactions. The dimer persists in new types of orbital combinations, along with its triplet transition state, which are evidenced for the first time. Pt(pyiOppy), under various doping concentrations in a solid matrix, demonstrates multicolor emissions ranging from green to red, all exhibiting high photoluminescent quantum efficiencies (48-97%). The devices incorporating Pt(pyiOppy) can emit green, yellow, orange, and red lights, covering a CIE coordinate range of (0.28-0.65, 0.61-0.34). All the devices also achieve appreciable maximum external quantum efficiencies (9.4-17.2%) and impressive lifetimes of hundreds of hours (LT70 at 1000 cd/m2). These findings showcase a new type of Pt(II) aggregate enabling well-controlled, multicolor high-performance phosphorescent OLEDs.

Insight into Structure, Regulatable Photoluminescence of Stably Self and Codoped Phosphor Ba3Y2B6O15: Dy/Eu for nUV wLEDs

AbstractThe exploitation of borate‐based phosphors is garnered tremendous attention in wLEDs. Although previous research provided some insights into borates from the viewpoints of synthesis, structure, and defect evolutions, their photoluminescence (PL) with dopants is still insufficient for actual application, especially on aspects of efficiency/stability. Herein, to alleviate the above issues, a new type of lesser‐known high symmetry Ba3Y2B6O15 (BYB) codoped with Dy3+/Eu3+ phosphors are synthesized via multistep solid‐state reaction and possessed controllable PL based on nUV excitation, defect‐induced (self‐) PL, and energy transfer (ET) from Dy3+ to Eu3+. The origin of blue self‐PL is clarified based on oxygen‐related defects and optimized via adjusting synthetic atmosphere (air/Ar) and (co)doping dopants to control the defect content. Thanks to dense connectivity, and highly symmetric structure with perfectly ordered octahedral sites of Y3+ for accommodation of Dy/Eu and ET, “cool” white and red PL from Dy3+ and Eu3+, respectively, show high PL efficiency with narrow full width at half the maximum (fwhm). The phosphor also exhibits excellent thermal stability because of high bandgap and low electron‐phonon coupling. Finally, a high‐quality phosphor‐converted wLED (pc‐wLED) device is assembled via remote “capping” packaging by adopting the BYB: Dy/Eu and a 350 nm nUV LED chip.

Zinc-halide/phenylbutyrate co-passivation of CsPbX3 nanocrystals toward efficient and robust luminescence

Cesium lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (IPNCs) exhibit excellent optoelectronic properties but are susceptible to degradation in practical environments due to their ionic surface and unstable ligand capping. Here, we propose a post-synthesis surface passivation strategy for CsPbX3 (X = Br, I) IPNCs by employing combined zinc halide and zinc phenylbutyrate (Zn(PA)2) as surface ligands. ZnBr2 fills surface halide vacancies on IPNCs, resulting in high photoluminescence efficiency, whereas Zn(PA)2 stabilizes IPNCs by substituting surface ammonium ligands. Additionally, the −PA capping endows IPNCs with high solubility in polystyrene (PS), enabling the direct fabrication of highly efficient and uniform IPNCs-PS color conversion films through in situ polymerization of the IPNC-styrene solution. The resulting IPNCs-PS films displayed significantly enhanced stability, retaining excellent PL persistence after 1000 h of photoaging. This novel ligand and modification method presents a promising strategy for improving the efficiency and stability of IPNCs, facilitating their potential applications in display backlight and other optoelectronic applications.

Structural determination, energy transfer and color-tunable photoluminescence of stable LiYSiO4: Ce/Tb/Sm Phosphors toward nUV pumped wLEDs application

Study on photon emission of Ce3+-doped phosphors is essential for advanced optoelectronic application. However, it remains quite difficult to design near-ultraviolet excitable Ce3+-activated silicate blue/cyan-emitting phosphors because of the combined influence of iconicity of Ce3+, crystal field strength, and nephelauxetic effect. Herein, Ce3+ incorporated into a proper host LiYSiO4 (LYS) phosphor is mechanistically investigated and shown efficient blue/cyan photoluminescence (PL) owing to Ce3+ 5d1 electronic state experiencing appropriate crystal field splitting. The comprehensive analysis based on structural refinement, dynamic/static spectra, and density functional theory calculations indicates that Ce3+ ions are energetically favored in octahedral Y site as compared with Li site in the host, resulting in attractive PL properties. According to the principle of color superposition and via cascading energy transfer (ET) from Ce3+ → Tb3+ → Sm3+, systematic PL tuning in a large color gamut is realized by further codoping with the green- and red-emissions of Tb3+ and Sm3+ in the phosphor LYS: Ce3+/Tb3+/Sm3+. The direct ET from Ce3+ → Sm3+ is difficult to occur due to the metal-metal charge transfer effect. Of note, the PL thermal-quenching of Ce3+ is mainly associated with multiphonon relaxation, while the quenching of Tb3+/ Sm3+ is primarily due to the cross relaxation (CR) process via dipole-dipole (d-d) interaction. The appropriate distance between the two nearest adjacent Y sites in the host together with the ET are conducive to weaken the CR process of Tb3+/Sm3+, leading to high PL efficiency. Finally, a prototype pc-wLED assembled via a remote ‘capping’ packaging strategy and by using only the stably composition-optimized white-emitting LYS: Ce3+/Tb3+/Sm3+ demonstrates that the phosphor is promising for high-quality of light.

Conformation‐Confined Organic Butterfly‐Molecule with High Photoluminescence Efficiency, Deep‐Blue Amplified Spontaneous Emission, and Unique Piezochromic Luminescence

Organic fluorophores with tunable π‐conjugated paths have attracted considerable attention owing to their diverse properties and promising applications. Herein, we present a tailored butterfly like molecule, 2,2’‐(2,5‐bis (2,2‐diphenylvinyl)‐1,4‐phenylene)dinaphtha‐lene (BDVPN), which exhibits diverse photophysical features in its two polymorphs. The BP phase crystal, with its “aligned wings” conformation, possesses emissive characteristics that are nearly identical to those in dilute solutions. In contrast, the BN phase crystal, which adopts an “orthogonal wings” conformation, exhibits an unusual hypsochromic‐shifted emission compared to its dilute solution counterparts. This intriguing hypsochromic‐shifted emission originates from the reduction in the effective conjugated length of the molecular skeleton. Notably, BN phase crystals also exhibit exceptional optical performance, featuring high‐efficiency emission (76.6%), low‐loss optical waveguides (0.571 dB mm‐1), deep‐blue amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) with a narrow full width at half maximum (FWHM: 6.4 nm), and a unique 200 nm bathochromic shift of piezochromic luminescence.

Conformation-Confined Organic Butterfly-Molecule with High Photoluminescence Efficiency, Deep-Blue Amplified Spontaneous Emission, and Unique Piezochromic Luminescence.

Organic fluorophores with tunable π-conjugated paths have attracted considerable attention owing to their diverse properties and promising applications. Herein, we present a tailored butterfly like molecule, 2,2'-(2,5-bis (2,2-diphenylvinyl)-1,4-phenylene)dinaphtha-lene (BDVPN), which exhibits diverse photophysical features in its two polymorphs. The BP phase crystal, with its "aligned wings" conformation, possesses emissive characteristics that are nearly identical to those in dilute solutions. In contrast, the BN phase crystal, which adopts an "orthogonal wings" conformation, exhibits an unusual hypsochromic-shifted emission compared to its dilute solution counterparts. This intriguing hypsochromic-shifted emission originates from the reduction in the effective conjugated length of the molecular skeleton. Notably, BN phase crystals also exhibit exceptional optical performance, featuring high-efficiency emission (76.6%), low-loss optical waveguides (0.571 dB mm-1), deep-blue amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) with a narrow full width at half maximum (FWHM: 6.4 nm), and a unique 200 nm bathochromic shift of piezochromic luminescence.

Amino‐Arsine and Amino‐Phosphine Based Synthesis of InAs@InP@ZnSe core@shell@shell Quantum Dots

AbstractA colloidal synthesis protocol is demonstrated for InAs@InP core@shell quantum dots (QDs) with a tunable InP shell thickness (ranging from 3 to 8 monolayers), utilizing tris(diethylamino)‐arsine and ‐phosphine. Structural analysis reveals that the InP shell preferentially grows onto the tetrahedral InAs cores along the <‐1‐1‐1> directions, forming tetrapodal‐shaped InAs@InP QDs. Growth of the InP shell causes a red shift in the absorption spectrum of the QDs. This is explained by considering that electrons are delocalized throughout the whole core@shell QDs, while holes preferentially leak along the <‐1‐1‐1> directions, as indicated by the density functional theory calculations. This means such heterostructures cannot be described as type‐I or quasi type‐II, contrary to earlier assumptions. The overlap of carrier wavefunctions throughout the entire InAs@InP QD structure results in no significant reduction of the Auger recombination rate, which remains as fast as in InAs QDs. However, the InP shell enhances photoluminescence (PL) efficiency (up to ≈13%) by passivating surface trap states of the InAs QDs (mainly located close to the top of the valence band). The overgrowth of a ZnSe shell endows the QDs with a high PL efficiency (≈55%) and good stability upon air exposure (≈80% PL intensity retention after 14 days).

Photoluminescence Sensing of Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals and Their Two-Dimensional Structural Materials

In recent years, the development of new efficient, fast, and intuitive materials and methods for photoluminescence (PL) sensing has become a research hotspot in analytical chemistry. Lead halide perovskite (LHP) materials have the characteristics of adjustable PL properties, high PL efficiency, and a variety of synthesis methods. Their PL is also sensitive to the change in specific factors in the environment. Based on these characteristics, LHP has shown good application prospects in the field of optical sensing. The study of the structural dimension, organic composition, or doped ions of LHP is helpful in exploring its sensing potential and proposing new sensing mechanisms, which have important research significance to promote sensing applications. In this review, the PL characteristics and sensing mechanisms, as well as their sensing applications of two- and three dimensional LHP, are discussed and summarized.

High-Resolution X-ray Image from Copper-Based Perovskite Hybrid Polymer.

Cs3Cu2I5 nanocrystals (NCs) are considered to be promising materials due to their high photoluminescence efficiency, lack of lead toxicity, and X-ray responsiveness. However, during the crystallization process, NCs are prone to agglomeration and exhibit uneven size distribution, resulting in several light scattering that severely affect their imaging resolution. Herein, we successfully developed a high-resolution scintillator film by growing copper-based perovskite NCs within a hybrid polymer matrix. By leveraging the ingenious integration of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), the size and distribution uniformity of Cs3Cu2I5 NCs can be effectively controlled. Consequently, a high spatial resolution of 14.3 lp mm-1 and a low detection limit of 105 nGy s-1 are achieved, and the scintillator film has excellent flexibility and stability. These results highlight the promising application of Cs3Cu2I5 scintillator films in low-cost, flexible, and high-performance medical imaging.

Constructing ZnTe Spherical Quantum Well for Efficient Light Emission.

ZnTe colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) have shown promise for light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and displays, because they are free from toxic heavy metals (Cd). However, so far, their low photoluminescence (PL) efficiency (∼30%) has hindered their applications. Herein, we devised a novel structure of ZnTe NCs with the configuration of ZnSe (core)/ZnTe (spherical quantum well, SQW)/ZnSe (shell). The inner layer ZnTe was grown at the surface of ZnSe core with avoiding using highly active and high-risk Zn sources. Due to the formation of coherently strained heterostructure which reduced the lattice mismatch, and the thermodynamic growth of ZnTe, the surface or interface defects were suppressed. A high PL efficiency of >60% was obtained for the green light-emitting ZnSe/ZnTe/ZnSe SQWs after ZnS outer layer passivation, which is the highest value for colloidal ZnTe-based NCs. This work paves the way for the development of novel semiconductor NCs for luminescent and display applications.

Performance-improved narrowband near-ultraviolet emission from a simple butyl and cyanogen substituted indolocarbazole

High-efficiency narrowband near-ultraviolet (NUV) organic light-emitting diodes with high color purity have currently encountered great challenges. Here, using butyl (Bu) and cyanogen (CN) substituted strategy in the simplest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons of indolocarbazole (ICz), two simple emitters of BuICz and BuICzCN were demonstrated. This simple strategy was observed to enable both emitters to realize NUV emission at 380–381 nm with a small full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 21–23 nm and high photoluminescent quantum efficiency of 50%–59% in toluene solution. Furthermore, the BuICzCN doped devices exhibited a slightly blueshifted narrowband NUV electroluminescence at 388 nm with a small FWHM of 32.3 nm but a higher external quantum efficiency of 3.92% in comparison with the BuICz doped devices. This work provides a path to realize high-performance narrow-band NUV emission.

Efficient and bright broadband electroluminescence based on environment-friendly metal halide nanoclusters

Broadband electroluminescence based on environment-friendly emitters is promising for healthy lighting yet remains an unprecedented challenge to progress. The copper halide-based emitters are competitive candidates for broadband emission, but their high-performance electroluminescence shows inadequate broad emission bandwidth of less than 90 nm. Here, we demonstrate efficient ultra-broadband electroluminescence from a copper halide (CuI) nanocluster single emitter prepared by a one-step solution synthesis-deposition process, through dedicated design of ligands and subtle selection of solvents. The CuI nanocluster exhibits high rigidity in the excitation state as well as dual-emissive modes of phosphorescence and temperature-activated delayed fluorescence, enabling the uniform cluster-composed film to show excellent stability and high photoluminescent efficiency. In consequence, ultra-broadband light-emitting diodes (LEDs) present nearly identical performance in an inert or air atmosphere without encapsulation and outstanding high-temperature operation performance, reaching an emission full width at half maximum (FWHM) of ~120 nm, a peak external quantum efficiency of 13%, a record maximum luminance of ~50,000 cd m−2, and an operating half-lifetime of 137 h at 100 cd m−2. The results highlight the potential of copper halide nanoclusters for next-generation healthy lighting.

Microwave-assisted Green Synthetic Approach towards Water Dispersible Luminescent PVP-coated Tb3+ and Ce3+/Tb3+-doped KZnF3 Nanocrystals

Background: Perovskite fluoride nanomaterials are an interesting research topic in material science due to their exciting properties like high-temperature superconductivity, magnetic behaviour, piezoelectric behaviour, etc. Doping of lanthanide ions into the perovskite fluoride nanomaterials makes them more promising as they have applications from biological label-ling to multicolor optical devices. Objective: This study aimed to carry out the synthesis of perovskite KZnF3 nanocrystals in an eco-friendly environment with the help of a microwave-assisted route in a shorter reaction time and at low temperatures. Moreover, it aimed to make the nanocrystals water dispersible, illuminating brighter photoluminescence, which was achieved by coating nanocrystals surface with poly(N-vi-nyl-2-pyrrolidone) and doping of different lanthanide ions (Ln= Tb3+ and Ce3+/Tb3+) respectively, into the KZnF3 nanocrystals matrix. Methods: The synthesis of nanocrystals was performed in an environment-friendly microwave-assisted way and under green conditions. For example, in the preparation of Tb3+(5mol%)-doped KZnF3 nanocrystals, 0.95 mmol of Zn(NO3)2 and 0.05 mmol of Tb(NO3)3 were dissolved in 8 mL of distilled water. Then, an 8 mL aqueous solution of KF (3 mmol) was added to it. The entire mixture was stirred well for 15 minutes. About 60 mg of PVP was added to the mixture and stirred for another 15 minutes. Then, a microwave reaction vessel was made by transferring the final reaction mixture into it and kept under microwave irradiation at 90°C temperature for 15 minutes. Finally, the product was cooled to room temperature and collected by centrifugation. Results: Both Tb3+(5mol%)-doped and Ce3+(15mol%)/Tb3+(5mol%) co-doped KZnF3 nanocrystals exhibit very strong green photoluminescence. The structural and optical properties of as-obtained nanocrystals were characterized by PXRD, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and photoluminescence spectra. Conclusion: The nanocrystals with uniform cubical morphology having ~60 nm sizes were successfully synthesized. The high photoluminescence efficiency, together with the water dispersibility of the nanocrystals, makes the material useful in many fields of optical devices and offers several biological applications. Moreover, this method could be used to make other lanthanide-doped perovskite fluoride nanocrystals.

Constructing multifunctional deep-blue emitters with weak charge transfer excited state for high-performance non-doped blue OLEDs and single-emissive-layer hybrid white OLEDs

Deep-blue emitter with high photoluminescence efficiency (PLQY) is highly desirable in ultra-high definition displays and white solid-state lightings. In this work, two deep-blue phenanthro[9,10]imidazole derivatives, PPIS and PPPIS, with hot exciton property are successfully developed. Compared to PPIS, the embedded phenyl bridge in PPPIS is able to effectively increase the overlap of frontier molecular orbitals. In consequence, PPPIS shows higher oscillator strength and significantly enhanced PLQY. PPPIS also achieves better electroluminescence performance in non-doped device, showing deep-blue emission with Commission International de l'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.153, 0.087) and the maximum external quantum efficiency (EQEmax) of 8.5% with minuscule efficiency roll-off. Meanwhile, when PPPIS serves as the host for phosphor PO-01, high-efficiency orange phosphorescent device is obtained with high EQEmax of 29.8% and negligible efficiency roll-off at 1000 cd/m2. Further, efficient single-emissive-layer white device is assembled via utilizing PPPIS as a blue emitter as well as the host for PO-01 simultaneously, providing warm-white emission with CIE coordinates of (0.429, 0.433) at 1000 cd/m2, the forward-viewing EQEmax of 27.2% and maximum power efficiency (PEmax) of 80.1 lm/W, respectively. Our studies can establish a viable design strategy for deep-blue emitters in high-performance non-doped blue OLEDs and hybrid WOLEDs.

Red-emissive silicon nanodots with highly biocompatible for mitochondrial dynamic tracking and blood-brain barrier penetration imaging

As one of the most indispensable organelles in eukaryotic cells, mitochondria are the primary site of cellular energy acquisition. Visual monitoring of mitochondria is an important way to understand mitochondrial morphology and cellular activities. However, it is difficult to achieve long-term localization and tracking due to the poor photostability of commercial mitochondria-targeted dyes. In this work, red-emissive silicon nanodots (R-SiNDs) with a highly mitochondrial-targeting and optimal emission peak at 614 nm were designed. The absolute quantum yield (QY) was up to 22.68%, while Pearson’s correlation coefficient in co-localization analysis was as high as 0.94. Subsequently, the long-term dynamic processes of mitochondrial fusion, division and interaction with lipid droplets were clear visualization in living cells based on good photostability and high photoluminescence efficiency. More interestingly, R-SiNDs without any other modification exhibited wonderful blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration capacity and were accumulated in the central canal of the spinal cord of zebrafish. Therefore, the as-prepared R-SiNDs can not only be used to study mitochondrial dynamics, but also provide a reliable basis for diagnosing mitochondria-related brain diseases, which is of great value in biomedical applications.

Polymer-Surface-Mediated Mechanochemical Reaction for Rapid and Scalable Manufacture of Perovskite QD Phosphors.

Perovskite quantum dots (QDs) have been considered new-generation emitters for lighting and displays due to their high photoluminescence (PL) efficiency, and pure color. However, their commercialization process is currently hindered by the challenge of mass production in a quick and environmentally friendly manner. In this study, a polymer-surface-mediated mechanochemical reaction (PMR) is proposed to prepare perovskite QDs using a high-speed multifunction grinder for the first time. PMR possesses two distinctive features: i) The ultra-high rotating speed (>15 000rpm) of the grinder facilitates the rapid conversion of the precursor to perovskite; ii) The surface-rich polymer particulate ensures QDs with high dispersity, avoiding QD aggregation-induced PL quenching. Therefore, PMR can successfully manufacture green perovskite QDs with a high PL quantum yield (PLQY) exceeding 90% in a highly material- (100% yield), time- (1kgmin-1), and effort- (solvent-free) efficient manner. Moreover, the PMR demonstrates remarkable versatility, including synthesizing by various polymers and producing diverse colored and Pb-free phosphors. Importantly, these phosphors featuring a combination of polymer and perovskite, are facilely processed into various solid emitters. The proposed rapid, green, and scalable approach has great potential to accelerate the commercialization of perovskite QDs.

Multiple-resonant nitrogen embedded nanographenes with high photoluminescence efficiency and high colour purity

Two indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole-based nanographenes (ICz-NGs) were designed and synthesized. Organic light-emitting diodes employing these ICz-NGs as emitters exhibited blue and green emissions with small full width at half maxima of 18–23 nm.

Blade-coated perovskite nanoplatelet polymer composites for sky-blue light-emitting diodes.

Colloidal perovskite nanoplatelets (NPLs) have shown promise in tackling blue light-emitting diode challenges based on their tunable band gap and high photoluminescence efficiencies. However, high quality and large area dense NPL films have been proven to be very hard to prepare because of their chemical and physical fragility during the liquid phase deposition. Herein, we report a perovskite-polymer composite film deposition strategy with fine morphology engineering obtained using the blade coating method. The effects of the polymer type, solution concentration, compounding ratio and film thickness on the film quality are systematically investigated. We found that a relatively high-concentration suspension with an optimized NPL to polymer ratio of 1 : 2 is crucial for the suppression of phase separation and arriving at a uniform film. Finally, sky-blue NPL-based perovskite light-emitting diodes were fabricated by blade coating showing an EQE of 0.12% on a device area of 16 mm2.

One-dimensional hybrid copper halides with high-efficiency photoluminescence as scintillator.

A new one-dimensional hybrid [APCHA]Cu2I4 was designed and applied as an X-ray scintillator. It exhibits broad-band green emission with a high PLQY of 74.80% and excellent stability. It demonstrates radioluminescence property with a light yield of 28 336 photons MeV-1, detection limit of 41 nGyair s-1, and high spatial limit of 13.95 lp mm-1 in X-ray imaging.