Exceptionally efficient deep blue anthracene-based luminogens: design, synthesis, photophysical, and electroluminescent mechanisms

Runda Guo; Wei Liu; Shian Ying; Yuwei Xu; Yating Wen; Yaxiong Wang; Dehua Hu; Xianfeng Qiao; Bing Yang; Dongge Ma; Lei Wang

doi:10.1016/j.scib.2021.06.018

Exceptionally efficient deep blue anthracene-based luminogens: design, synthesis, photophysical, and electroluminescent mechanisms

Sci Bull (Beijing). 2021 Oct 30;66(20):2090-2098. doi: 10.1016/j.scib.2021.06.018. Epub 2021 Jun 24.

Authors

Runda Guo¹, Wei Liu¹, Shian Ying², Yuwei Xu², Yating Wen³, Yaxiong Wang¹, Dehua Hu², Xianfeng Qiao², Bing Yang³, Dongge Ma⁴, Lei Wang⁵

Affiliations

¹ Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China. Electronic address: msdgma@scut.edu.cn.
⁵ Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China. Electronic address: wanglei@mail.hust.edu.cn.

PMID: 36654267
DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2021.06.018

Abstract

Achieving high-efficiency deep blue emitter with CIE_y < 0.06 (CIE, Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage) and external quantum efficiency (EQE) >10% has been a long-standing challenge for traditional fluorescent materials in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Here, we report the rational design and synthesis of two new deep blue luminogens: 4-(10-(4'-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)-2,5-dimethyl-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4-yl)anthracen-9-yl)benzonitrile (2M-ph-pCzAnBzt) and 4-(10-(4-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)-2,5-dimethylphenyl)anthracen-9-yl)benzonitrile (2M-pCzAnBzt). In particular, 2M-ph-pCzAnBzt produces saturated deep blue emissions in a non-doped electroluminescent device with an exceptionally high EQE of 10.44% and CIE_x,y (0.151, 0.057). The unprecedented electroluminescent efficiency is attributed to the combined effects of higher-order reversed intersystem crossing and triplet-triplet up-conversion, which are supported by analysis of theoretical calculation, triplet sensitization experiments, as well as nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. This research offers a new approach to resolve the shortage of high efficiency deep blue fluorescent emitters.

Keywords: Anthracene derivative; Deep blue luminogen; Hot excitons; Non-doped device; Triplet-triplet annihilation up-conversion.