Polymer Organic Light-emitting Diodes Research Articles

Recent research on the status and advances of OLED

Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) have already been a prominent display technology in various applications for many decades, ranging from smartphones and televisions to wearable devices and lighting. It is important to understand the current state of OLED research in order to assess its progress, identify challenges, and explore more potential ways for further development. In this paper, the significance and widespread adoption of OLED technology are briefly introduced, and its advantages over traditional display technologies are highlighted. The paper then provides a concise overview of the major components and working principles of OLEDs without delving into basic notions. The paper discusses both small molecule OLEDs (SMOLEDs) and polymer OLEDs (POLEDs), emphasizing their unique structure, characteristics and properties. Different strategies employed to enhance OLED performance is investigated, including the regulation of band gaps that influence the efficiency and brightness. This paper also focuses on the evaluation of device reliability and stability aspects. The techniques and materials employed in studies related to OLED development are also discussed with many searched experimental data and ongoing research activities. Furthermore, the research content covered the aspects of recent commercial advancements in OLED technology, such as Active matrix OLEDs (AMOLED) and Passive matrix (PMOLED). The review provides a guideline for researchers, industry professionals, and enthusiasts to better understand the OLED technology into its details, potential, and the areas that require further exploration.

Inkjet Printing of an Electron Injection Layer: New Role of Cesium Carbonate Interlayer in Polymer OLEDs.

Among solution-processable techniques, inkjet printing is a potential method for manufacturing low-cost and high-resolution polymer organic light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) for displays/solid-state lighting applications. Herein, we demonstrate use of the inkjet printed cesium carbonate (Cs2CO3) film as an electron injection interlayer. We have elaborated the Cs2CO3 ink using an alcohol-based solvent for the industrial-grade printhead. The printed Cs2CO3 layer morphology was investigated by means of an optical microscope and an atomic force microscope. The PLEDs based on emissive polymer (Super Yellow) with printed Cs2CO3 interlayer show a remarkable current efficiency and luminance compared to the PLEDs made without the Cs2CO3 layer. Such results suggest that the Cs2CO3 is a promising material for the formulation of the electron injecting inkjet inks. The possibility of inkjet printing of an efficient electron injecting layer enables in situ patterning of PLEDs’ emission area. Such a simple and flexible technique can be applied for a wide range of applications such as signage, pictograms, advertising, smart packaging, etc.

Highly Efficient Inverted Circularly Polarized Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

Circularly polarized (CP) electroluminescence has been demonstrated as a strategy to improve the performance of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays. CP emission can be generated from both small-molecule and polymer OLEDs (SM-OLEDs and PLEDs), but to date, these devices suffer from low dissymmetry factors (g-factor < 0.1), poor device performance, or a combination of the two. Here, we demonstrate the first CP-PLED employing an inverted device architecture. Through this approach, we demonstrate a highly efficient CP-PLED, with a current efficiency of 16.4 cd/A, a power efficiency of 16.6 lm/W, a maximum luminance of over 28,500 cd/m2, and a high EL dissymmetry (gEL) of 0.57. We find that the handedness of the emitted light is sensitive to the PLED device architecture: the sign of CP-EL from an identically prepared active layer reverses between inverted and conventional devices. The inverted structure affords the first demonstration of CP-PLEDs exhibiting both high efficiency and high dissymmetry-the two figures of merit which, until now, have been difficult to achieve at the same time. We also highlight device architecture and associated internal electric field to be a previously unexplored means to control the handedness of CP emission. Our findings significantly broaden the versatility of CP emissive devices and should enable their further application in a variety of other CP-dependent technologies.

Inverting the Handedness of Circularly Polarized Luminescence from Light-Emitting Polymers Using Film Thickness.

The emission of circularly polarized light is central to many applications, including data storage, optical quantum computation, biosensing, environmental monitoring, and display technologies. An emerging method to induce (chiral) circularly polarized (CP) electroluminescence from the active layer of polymer light-emitting diodes (polymer OLEDs; PLEDs) involves blending achiral polymers with chiral small-molecule additives, where the handedness/sign of the CP light is controlled by the absolute stereochemistry of the small molecule. Through the in-depth study of such a system we report an interesting chiroptical property: the ability to tune the sign of CP light as a function of active layer thickness for a fixed enantiomer of the chiral additive. We demonstrate that it is possible to achieve both efficient (4.0 cd/A) and bright (8000 cd/m2) CP-PLEDs, with high dissymmetry of emission of both left-handed (LH) and right-handed (RH) light, depending on thickness (thin films, 110 nm: gEL = 0.51, thick films, 160 nm: gEL = -1.05, with the terms "thick" and "thin" representing the upper and lower limits of the thickness regime studied), for the same additive enantiomer. We propose that this arises due to an interplay between localized CP emission originating from molecular chirality and CP light amplification or inversion through a chiral medium. We link morphological, spectroscopic, and electronic characterization in thin films and devices with theoretical studies in an effort to determine the factors that underpin these observations. Through the control of active layer thickness and device architecture, this study provides insights into the mechanisms that result in CP luminescence and high performance from CP-PLEDs, as well as demonstrating new opportunities in CP photonic device design.

Ultrasonic spray coating as an approach for large-area polymer OLEDs: The influence of thin film processing and surface roughness on electrical performance

In this article we present a detailed comparison of ultrasonic spray coating and spin coating for the fabrication of polymer organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Single-carrier devices of hole-transporting polymer poly[(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-co-(4,4’(N-(4-sec-butylphenyl))) diphenylamine] (TFB) were fabricated by ultrasonic spray coating. Uniform reference devices using spin coating were also made. We have shown, across a range of device thicknesses from 37 nm to 138 nm, typical of those used in OLED hole-transport layers, that there is no statistical difference in the hole-injection efficiency between ultrasonic spray coating and spin coating. We have also demonstrated the importance of controlling the roughness of the films and we determine a threshold of 10 nm average roughness below which injection efficiency is not controlled by roughness. However, above 10 nm roughness we find a reduction in injection efficiency up to an 86 % loss in performance for roughnesses of the order of 40 % the thickness of the film. By optimising the deposition parameters, in order to allow the wet films to start to equilibrate, we find a wide processing window for smooth uniform films with excellent injection efficiency. This work reinforces the importance of ultrasonic spray coating as a potential route to high volume manufacturing of OLED based technology.

Kinetics of thermally activated triplet fusion as a function of polymer chain packing in boosting the efficiency of organic light emitting diodes

Understanding the photophysical process governing the operation of the organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and how they are affected by film morphology is crucial to the efficient design of future OLEDs. In particular, delayed fluorescence (DF), is known to contribute a significant fraction of the light emission from polymer-based OLEDs, but its mechanism remains unclear. Here, we investigate the origin of DF in the state of the art OLED polymer Poly (9, 9-dioctylfluorene-alt-benzothiadiazole) (F8BT), under both optical and electrical excitation using time-resolved emission spectroscopy (TRES) as a function of film thickness, excitation fluence, magnetic-field, and temperature. The temperature dependence of the DF for various film thicknesses suggests that thermally activated triplet migration is the dominant process controlling DF at room temperature. We found that thermal activation energy (Eeff) of triplet migration decreases from 179 ± 31 meV to 86 ± 11 meV as film thickness varied from ~110 nm to ~560 nm, respectively. The Eeff of triplet migration is found to be a function of the molecular packing of polymer chains as determined from synchrotron grazing incidence wide angle x-ray scattering (GIWAXS) studies and steady-state photoluminescence studies. Quantum chemical calculations of reorganization energy and singlet–triplet exchange energy gap in F8BT molecule as a function of the dihedral angle between donor & acceptor moiety also confirm the experimental results. Our results show that DF in polymer OLEDs is significantly affected by parameters such as the film thickness and disorder, allowing for a high degree of control over the underlying photophysics to be achieved.

Efficient Triplet Exciton Fusion in Molecularly Doped Polymer Light-Emitting Diodes.

Solution-processed polymer organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) doped with triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA)-upconversion molecules, including 9,10-diphenylanthracene, perylene, rubrene and TIPS-pentacene, are reported. The fraction of triplet-generated electroluminescence approaches the theoretical limit. Record-high efficiencies in solution-processed OLEDs based on these materials are achieved. Unprecedented solid-state TTA-upconversion quantum yield of 23% (TTA-upconversion reaction efficiency of 70%) at electrical excitation well below one-sun equivalent is observed.

Multipurpose selenophene containing conjugated polymers for optoelectronic applications

ABSTRACTIn this study, two new conjugated polymers were synthesized including benzotriazole (BTz) as the acceptor unit and selenophene as the π bridge donor segment. These acceptors were coupled with fluorene and carbazole via Suzuki condensation reactions. Electrochemical band gaps were calculated as 2.45 eV for P1 and 2.40 eV for P2. Electrochemical and optical studies of polymers indicate that both polymers are promising candidates for organic solar cell (OSC) and polymer organic light emitting diode (PLED) applications since they have suitable HOMO-LUMO energy levels and appropriate absorption and emission band ranges. Light emitting properties of synthesized polymers were investigated and the highest luminance value was found as 6608cd/m2 for P1 at 8 V. Photovoltaic properties of polymers were investigated and the optimized device based on P2 showed 1.75% power conversion efficiency for P2 under AM 1.5 G illumination at 100 mW/cm2.

Low cost UV-Ozone reactor mounted for treatment of electrode anodes used in P-OLEDs devices

Low cost UV-Ozone reactor using a high pressure mercury vapor lamp of 80 watts without outer bulb showed good results for treatment of ITO films used as anode electrode in the assembly of P-OLED (polymer-organic light emitting diode) devices. This study revealed 20 minutes as effective treatment time and it was verified also that the effect of UV-Ozone treatment loses its efficiency as the elapsed time increases. It was analyzed with measurements of contact angle using a droplet of PEDOT:PSS polymer. P-OLEDs devices were mounted with architecture: ITO/PEDOT:PSS/PVK/Alq3/Al. The PVK polymer was diluted in organic solvent of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene with concentrations of: 5, 10, 20 and 30 mg/mL. Results revealed better performance of P-OLED devices for concentration of 5 mg/mL resulting in lower threshold voltage, elevation of electrical current and similar diode curve.

Improvement of device performance of polymer organic light-emitting diodes on smooth transparent sheet with graphene films synthesized by plasma treatment

Because graphene films have one-atom thickness, the morphology of the transparent sheets could have a greater effect on the performance of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices with graphene films than on that with indium tin oxide (ITO). In this study, we have evaluated the polymer OLED devices with graphene films synthesized by plasma treatment on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(ethylene naphthalate) (PEN) sheets having high flatness. The results imply that the surface roughness of the transparent sheets predominantly affects the luminescence of polymer OLED devices with graphene films. The suppression of leakage current and a luminescence higher than 8000 cd/m2 at 15 V were attained for the devices on the transparent sheet with higher flatness in spite of the presence of large sharp spikes.

Fluorene bilayer for polymer organic light-emitting diode using efficient ionization method for atomized droplet

We present a solution-processed planar fluorene bilayer by an ultrasonic atomized deposition method in combination with a needle electrode as an ionization part for an atomized droplet. An important advantage of our method is that the atomized droplet is efficiently charged using a needle electrode, which speeds up the deposition rate of the polymer thin film. The deposition rate increases 2 to 3 times compared to a that obtained with a conventional technique without using the ionization method, and real-time monitoring of landed droplets indicates that the number of droplets increased as the voltage applied to the needle electrode was increased, owing to the highly charged atomized droplets. Furthermore, the TFB/F8BT bilayer was achieved by optimizing the substrate temperature, and the polymer organic light-emitting diode exhibits a luminance value exceeding 12,000cd/m2 by insertion of the TFB as an electron blocking layer. The maximum current efficiency of the fluorene bilayer device was 6.64cd/A, which was a 3.2-fold increase compared to that obtained with the reference device without the TFB electron blocking layer.

Synthesis and optoelectric properties of fluorene-alt-benzene organic phosphorescent polymers containing pendent cyclometalated iridium complex

A series of novel phosphorescent polymers consisting of fluorene-alt-benzene as building block in the main chain and cyclometalated iridium complex as the pendent in the branch were synthesized by coupling polymerization. All of these resulting polymers presented a good thermal stability, an intense absorption in the region of 300–400 nm and a bright blue emission in solution. On contrary, the polymers exhibited dual emission spectra originated from the backbones and iridium complex unit in the neat film. Polymer organic light-emitting diodes employing these polymers as the single emissive layer with the configuration of ITO/PEDOT : PSS (50 nm)/phosphorescent polymer (45 nm)/LiF (0.5 nm)/Al (150 nm) were fabricated. The devices revealed a maximum brightness 43 cd/m2 with a low molar concentration of iridium complex (1%).

Delayed electroluminescence of doped fluorescent aingle layer organic light-emitting devices.

Doped single-layer polymer OLEDs consisting of PVK: (TPB, C545T, Rubrene or DCJTB) were prepared. By applying high-frequency electric pulse of 0.5 micros pulse width to each device, we observed various delayed electroluminescence after withdrawing the forward bias. The order of magnitude of fitting life time ranges from hundreds of nanoseconds to several milliseconds. Current density-voltage and brightness-voltage characteristics reveals charge trapped on guest sites initially before released. Subsequently, the recombination of these trapped charges is strongly involved in the origin of delayed electroluminescence.

A Solution Processed Flexible Nanocomposite Electrode with Efficient Light Extraction for Organic Light Emitting Diodes

Highly efficient organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on multiple layers of vapor evaporated small molecules, indium tin oxide transparent electrode, and glass substrate have been extensively investigated and are being commercialized. The light extraction from the exciton radiative decay is limited to less than 30% due to plasmonic quenching on the metallic cathode and the waveguide in the multi-layer sandwich structure. Here we report a flexible nanocomposite electrode comprising single-walled carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires stacked and embedded in the surface of a polymer substrate. Nanoparticles of barium strontium titanate are dispersed within the substrate to enhance light extraction efficiency. Green polymer OLED (PLEDs) fabricated on the nanocomposite electrode exhibit a maximum current efficiency of 118 cd/A at 10,000 cd/m2 with the calculated external quantum efficiency being 38.9%. The efficiencies of white PLEDs are 46.7 cd/A and 30.5%, respectively. The devices can be bent to 3 mm radius repeatedly without significant loss of electroluminescent performance. The nanocomposite electrode could pave the way to high-efficiency flexible OLEDs with simplified device structure and low fabrication cost.

High efficiency solution processed fluorescent yellow organic light-emitting diode through fluorinated alcohol treatment at the emissive layer/cathode interface

We compare solvent treatments using fluorinated alcohol (2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5-octafluoro- 1-pentanol) and ethanol in improving the efficiency of a polymer organic light-emitting diode (OLED) by spin coating the solvent on top of the emissive layer. The presence of fluorinated alcohol is confirmed using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electron current is found to be significantly enhanced following solvent treatment while the hole current remains the same. The solvent treatment by fluorinated alcohol on top of a ‘super-yellow’ poly-(p-phenylenevinylene) (SY-PPV) based OLED results in efficiency as high as 19.2 lm W−1 (20.9 cd A−1) at a brightness of 1000 cd m−2. The improvement of device efficiency through the use of fluorinated alcohol treatment can be attributed to its large dipole, which lowers the electron injection barrier. This work also suggests that fluorinated alcohol might be a better trap passivator for electrons than ethanol.

18.1: Invited Paper: Roll‐to‐Roll Manufacturing of Printed OLEDs

AbstractOrganic light emitting diodes (OLED) are developing rapidly and provide a huge market potential for signage, lighting and display applications. Cost efficient manufacturing of OLED components on different flexible substrates is under heavy investigation. In this paper focus is on polymer OLEDs and their non‐vacuum solution processing using roll‐to‐roll (R2R) printing techniques. In this paper VTT's R2R manufacturing process capabilities for printed OLED components are presented. Several demonstrator concepts based on printed OLED technology are introduced including; printed OLED elements 1) in a smart package, 2) a 7‐segment display integrated in a ID‐1 card, 3) an electronics voting card with OLED indicator and 4) a 35 cm2 OLED lighting element printed on glass.

Phosphoryl/Sulfonyl-Substituted Iridium Complexes as Blue Phosphorescent Emitters for Single-Layer Blue and White Organic Light-Emitting Diodes by Solution Process

Two new phosphoryl/sulfonyl-substituted iridium complexes, POFIrpic and SOFIrpic, have been designed and synthesized on the basis of the structural frame of sky-blue FIrpic. The introduction of phosphoryl/sulfonyl moieties into the 5′-position of phenyl ring makes the emission peak blue-shift to the 460 nm, simultaneously the compounds maintain high photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) of about 50% in solution. Single-layer blue and white polymer organic light-emitting diodes by full solution-process were fabricated with the following configuration: ITO/PEDOT:PSS/PVK:OXD-7:dopants/CsF/Al. The blue device based on POFIrpic shows a maximum current efficiency of 11.1 cd A–1, a maximum external quantum efficiency of 7.1%, which are the highest ever reported for blue PhOLEDs by full solution process. The white device with POFIrpic as blue component reveals a maximum current efficiency of 25 cd A–1, a maximum external quantum efficiency of 15%, and a good CRI value of 82.

Enhancing effects of nanoparticles on polymer-OLED performances

In an attempt to elucidate the influences of conductor Ag and semiconductor TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) onto device characteristics, the polymer organic light emitting diodes (P-OLEDs) with composite layers were prepared and investigated. The mentioned inorganic NPs were embedded into the hole transport layer [poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate); (PEDOT:PSS)] and into the emissive layer [poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene]; (MEH-PPV)], individually, with different concentrations. The fabrication of the P-OLEDs was achieved via solution processing. Complete device characteristics, namely, voltage-current, brightness, luminous efficiency, and electroluminescent spectrum were all determined and carefully analyzed to clarify the impacts on the device physics. Ag NPs synthesis was successfully carried out yielding approximately 6-nm diameter particle size. P-OLEDs fabricated using Ag/PEDOT:PSS and Ag/MEH-PPV nanocomposite layers exhibited enhancement in the device efficiency up to 45 %. Moreover, threshold and turn-on voltages were improved upon hybridisation of organic layers with TiO2 nanoparticles. On the other hand, electroluminescent spectrum was not affected significantly by Ag NPs while TiO2 shifted the dominant peak to the shorter wavelength.

Influence of the Transparent Conductive Oxides on the P-OLEDs Behavior

Multilayer polymer-organic light emitting diodes (P-OLEDs) were assembled with different transparent conductive oxide (TCO) and aluminum as the anode and cathode, respectively. Two types of TCOs, ITO (indium tin oxide) or FTO (fluorine tin oxide), with different sheet resistances, from 10 to 61 Ω/□, were used. A blend of poly[(1,4-phenylene)-alt-2,7(9,9 dioctylfluorene)] and an europium complex (20 %) was used as the polymeric photoactive layer of the devices. The performance of P-OLEDs showed that those having the FTO film with the lowest sheet resistance presented the lowest threshold voltage, while those having the ITO with the lowest sheet resistance presented the highest luminance among all types of devices obtained.

P‐128: Solution Processable Polymer OLED Lighting Panels with 25 lm/W Efficiency

AbstractThrough understanding of the device and photo‐physics we have developed a fluorescent and phosphorescent hybrid materials set and device architecture for stable white Polymer OLED (P‐OLED) lighting devices yielding 25 lm/W efficiency. We show that this technology can be transferred to solution processed ITO‐free lighting panels realizing 32 lm/W efficiency with out‐coupling film.