journal article·2025-12Open access

Pure Hydrocarbon‐Based Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Hosts Enable Highly Efficient Phosphorescent Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes

Chao Xia, Deli Li, Di Liu, Lin Wu, Bohong Liu, Zhiheng Wang, Hengxuan Qi, Ziru Xin, Wei Li, Ziyi Ge

Advanced Optical Materials· Volume 13· Issue 36

Abstract

Abstract Pure hydrocarbon (PHC) molecules, composed exclusively of carbon and hydrogen, exhibit excellent stability and hold promising potential for applications in optoelectronic devices. Herein, a series of PHC host materials are proposed, namely ( R )‐4′“”‐(9,9′‐spirobi[fluoren]‐2‐yl)‐2,4′“‐bi(9,9′‐spirobi[fluorene]) (SP‐2), ( R )‐4′”“‐(9,9′‐spirobi[fluoren]‐3‐yl)‐3,4′”‐bi(9,9′‐spirobi[fluorene]) (SP‐3), and ( R )‐4′‐(9,9′‐spirobi[fluoren]‐4‐yl)‐4,4′'‐bi(9,9′‐spirobi[fluorene]) (SP‐4), based on the parent molecule spirobifluorene (SBF), designed through different connection sites to achieve varying degrees of molecular skeleton distortion. The resulting isomers exhibit high singlet and triplet energy levels, a wide HOMO/LUMO energy gap, and favorable thermal stability. These outstanding properties strongly support their potential as host materials for phosphorescent organic light‐emitting diodes (PhOLEDs). As a result, green PhOLEDs based on SP‐2 achieved a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 24.7% with minimal efficiency roll‐off, which ranks among the best EL performances reported for PhOLEDs based on pure hydrocarbon host materials. This demonstrates that tailoring the degree of conjugation and three‐dimensionality through different linkage sites is effective in creating host materials that successfully balance charge transport and exciton confinement.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Research · Luminescence and Fluorescent Materials · Synthesis and Properties of Aromatic Compounds

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

Affiliations

Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials School of Chemistry Dalian University of Technology 2 Linggong Road Dalian 116024 P. R. China

Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Research Center of Energy Optoelectronic Materials and Devices Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering Chinese Academy of Sciences Ningbo 315201 P. R. China

Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 P. R. China

Institute for Smart Materials & Engineering University of Jinan No. 336 Nanxinzhuang West Road Jinan 250022 P. R. China

Ji Hua Laboratory Foshan 528200 P. R. China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China · National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars

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