npj Flexible Electronics (Sep 2022)

Solution-processable through-space charge-transfer emitters via solubilizing groups modification

  • Qi Zheng,
  • Xue-Qi Wang,
  • Yang-Kun Qu,
  • Guohua Xie,
  • Liang-Sheng Liao,
  • Zuo-Quan Jiang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-022-00212-5
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 6, no. 1
pp. 1 – 7

Abstract

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Abstract The solubility of luminescent materials is a key parameter to improve the electroluminescent performances of solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The through-space charge transfer (TSCT) materials provide an alternative to introduce the solubilizing groups (SGs) to the linker. Herein, the tert-butyl and n-hexyl groups are introduced as SGs at C7 positions of spiro structure, named C6-DMB and tBu-DMB, away from the acceptor. This has no influence on the photophysical properties of the parent TSCT molecule. Highly efficient solution-processed OLEDs were demonstrated with the maximum external quantum efficiencies of 21.0% and 21.7%, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, these are champions in the state-of-the-art solution-processed OLEDs with TSCT emitters. This work confirmed our conjecture of constructing highly efficient soluble emitters by transforming an outstanding TSCT material from thermal evaporation to solution-processed OLEDs with SGs simply integrated on the ‘bridge’ linker.