journal article·2024-02Open access

An A‐D‐A‐Type Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Emitter with Intrinsic Yellow Emission Realizing Record‐High Red/NIR OLEDs upon Modulating Intermolecular Aggregations

Hui Wang, Jia‐Xiong Chen, Yi‐Zhong Shi, Xi Zhang, Lu Zhou, Xiao‐Yao Hao, Jia Yu, Kai Wang, Xiao‐Hong Zhang

Advanced Materials· Volume 36· Issue 8

Abstract

Abstract Realizing efficient red/near‐infrared (NIR) electroluminescence (EL) by precisely modulating molecular aggregations of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters is an attractive pathway, yet the molecular designs are elusive. Here, a new approach is proposed to manage molecular aggregation via a mild‐twist acceptor‐donor‐acceptor (A‐D‐A)‐type molecular design. A proof‐of‐concept TADF molecule, QCN‐PhSAC‐QCN, is developed that furnishes a fast radiative rate and obvious aggregation‐induced emission feature. Its emission bands can be facilely shifted from intrinsic yellow to the red/NIR region via fine‐tuning doping levels and molecular aggregates while maintaining elegant photoluminescence quantum yields benefiting from suppressed exciton annihilation processes. As a result, a QCN‐PhSAC‐QCN‐based organic light‐emitting diode (OLED) exhibits a record‐setting external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 39.1% at a doping ratio of 10 wt.%, peaking at 620 nm. Moreover, its nondoped NIR OLED affords a champion EQE of 14.3% at 711 nm and retains outstanding EQEs of 5.40% and 2.35% at current densities of 10 and 100 mA cm−2, respectively, which are the highest values among all NIR‐TADF OLEDs at similar density levels. This work validates the feasibility of such mild‐twist A‐D‐A‐type molecular design for precisely controlling molecular aggregation while maintaining high efficiency, thus providing a promising pathway for high‐performance red/NIR TADF OLEDs.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Research · Luminescence and Fluorescent Materials · Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM) Soochow University Suzhou Jiangsu 215123 P. R. China

School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry Guangdong University of Technology Guangzhou Guangdong 510006 P. R. China

School of Materials Science and Engineering Suzhou University of Science and Technology Suzhou Jiangsu 215009 P. R. China

Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon‐Based Functional Materials & Devices Soochow University Suzhou Jiangsu 215123 P. R. China

Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Negative Carbon Technologies Soochow University Suzhou Jiangsu 215123 P. R. China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China · National Key Research and Development Program of China · Science and Technology Program of Suzhou

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