Recent Advances in Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescent Polymer-Molecular Designing Strategies

Enhancing external quantum efficiency in a sky-blue OLED by charge transfer via Si quantum dots

Organic light-emitting diodes aim to achieve high efficiency by using excitons to achieve a 100% quantum efficiency (QE). However, developing functional organic materials for this purpose can be time-consuming. To address this challenge, a new method has been proposed to incorporate inorganic quantum dots into the organic luminescent layer to enable unlimited exciton formation and approach the 100% QE limit. Inorganic quantum dots are clusters of atoms that contain numerous thermally generated electrons and holes at conduction and valence bands. Immersed quantum dots act as charge generation centers, providing electrons and holes with unlimited amounts to form excitons. After radiative recombination, these excitons generate photons that cause internal QE to nearly 100%. This concept has been demonstrated using Silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) and phosphorescent materials. The average size of SiQDs is approximately 6 nm, and they are well-dispersed within the guest-host blue phosphorescent light-emitting materials. With only 5 × 10-3% (in weight) of SiQDs in the precursor, external QE increased from 2 to 17.7%, nearly a nine-fold enhancement. The prolonged decay time from 1.68 to 5.97 ns indicates that electrons are transferred from SiQDs to the luminescent materials. This universal method can be applied to green and red emissions with various inorganic quantum dots in different organic luminescent material systems.

Recent Advances in Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescent Materials in Type II Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) represents a novel, dual-stage cancer treatment approach that combines light energy and photosensitizers to destroy cancerous and precancerous cells through the generation of radicals (Type I) or singlet oxygen (Type II). Since the early 2010s, PDT has advanced significantly, with the focus shifting toward the exploration of molecules capable of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) as viable alternatives to traditional metallic complexes and organometallic compounds for producing the necessary active species. TADF molecules exhibit higher energy conversion efficiency, long-lived triplet excitons, tunable photophysical properties, and a small singlet-triplet energy gap, facilitating efficient intersystem crossing and enhanced singlet oxygen generation. As metal-free luminophores, they offer benefits such as reduced health risks, high structural flexibility, and biocompatibility, which can significantly enhance PDT treatment efficacy. Notably, in 2019, a pivotal shift occurred, with researchers concentrating their efforts on identifying and investing in potential molecules specifically for Type II PDT applications. This review presents the innovative use of materials characterized by closely spaced S1 and T1 orbitals, crucial for the efficient generation of singlet oxygen in PDT. Exploring these materials opens new avenues for enhancing the efficacy and specificity of PDT, offering promising for future cancer treatments.

Rational Design of NIR-II Emitting Conjugated Polymer Derived Nanoparticles for Image-Guided Cancer Interventions

Due to the reduced absorption, light scattering, and tissue autofluorescence in the NIR-II (1000-1700 nm) region, significant efforts are underway to explore diverse material platforms for in vivo fluorescence imaging, particularly for cancer diagnostics and image-guided interventions. Of the reported imaging agents, nanoparticles derived from conjugated polymers (CPNs) offer unique advantages to alternative materials including biocompatibility, remarkable absorption cross-sections, exceptional photostability, and tunable emission behavior independent of cell labeling functionalities. Herein, the current state of NIR-II emitting CPNs are summarized and structure-function-property relationships are highlighted that can be used to elevate the performance of next-generation CPNs. Methods for particle processing and incorporating cancer targeting modalities are discussed, as well as detailed characterization methods to improve interlaboratory comparisons of novel materials. Contemporary methods to specifically apply CPNs for cancer diagnostics and therapies are then highlighted. This review not only summarizes the current state of the field, but offers future directions and provides clarity to the advantages of CPNs over other classes of imaging agents.

Achieving efficient and stable blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes based on four-coordinate fluoroboron emitters by simple substitution molecular engineering

Achieving both high efficiency and high stability in blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes (TADF-OLEDs) is challenging for practical displays and lighting. Here, we have successfully developed a series of sky-blue to pure-blue emitting donor-acceptor (D-A) type TADF materials featuring a four-coordinated boron with 2,2'-(pyridine-2,6-diyl)diphenolate (dppy) ligands, i.e.1-8. Synergistic engineering of substituents on the phenyl bridge as well as the electronic properties and the attached positions of heteroatom N-donors not only enables fine-tuning of the emission colors, but also modulates the nature and energies of their triplet excited states that are important for the reverse intersystem crossing (RISC). Particularly for the compound with two methyl substituents on the phenyl bridge (compound 8), RISC is significantly facilitated through the vibronic coupling of the energetically close-lying triplet charge transfer (3CT) and the triplet local excited (3LE) states, when compared to analogue 7. Efficient sky-blue to pure-blue OLEDs with electroluminescence peaks (λ EL) at 460-492 nm have been obtained, in which ca. five-fold higher external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) of 18.9% have been demonstrated by 8 than that by 7. Moreover, ca. thirty times longer device operational half-lifetimes (LT50) of 9113 hours for 8 than that for 7 as well as satisfactory LT50 reaching 26 643 hours for 6 at an initial luminance of 100 cd m-2 have also been demonstrated. To the best of our knowledge, these results represent one of the best high-performance blue OLEDs based on tetracoordinated boron TADF emitters. Moreover, the design strategy presented here has provided an attractive strategy for enhancing the device performance of blue TADF-OLEDs.

Fluorescent Materials Based on Spiropyran for Advanced Anti-Counterfeiting and Information Encryption

In daily life, counterfeit and substandard products, particularly currency, medicine, food, and confidential documents, are capable of bringing about very serious consequences. The development of anti-counterfeiting and authentication technologies with multilevel securities is a powerful means to overcome this challenge. Among various anti-counterfeiting technologies, fluorescent anti-counterfeiting technology is well-known and commonly used to fight counterfeiters due to its wide material source, low cost, simple usage, good concealment, and simple response mechanism. Spiropyran is favored by scientists in the fields of anti-counterfeiting and information encryption due to its reversible photochromic property. Here, we summarize the current available spiropyran-based fluorescent materials from design to anti-counterfeiting applications. This review will be help scientists to design and develop fluorescent anti-counterfeiting materials with high security, high performance, quick response, and high anti-counterfeiting level.

Asymmetric Triphenylethylene-Based Hole Transporting Materials for Highly Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells

Molecular hole-transporting materials (HTMs) having triphenylethylene central core were designed, synthesized, and employed in perovskite solar cell (PSC) devices. The synthesized HTM derivatives were obtained in a two- or three-step synthetic procedure, and their characteristics were analyzed by various thermoanalytical, optical, photophysical, and photovoltaic techniques. The most efficient PSC device recorded a 23.43% power conversion efficiency. Furthermore, the longevity of the device employing V1509 HTM surpassed that of PSC with state-of-art spiro-OMeTAD as the reference HTM.

Adjusting the Electron-Withdrawing Ability of Acceptors in Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Conjugated Polymers for High-Performance OLEDs

Constructing high-performance solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) conjugated polymers remains a challenging issue. The electron-withdrawing ability of acceptors in TADF units significantly affects the TADF properties of the conjugated polymers. Herein, we have designed three TADF conjugated polymers, in which phenoxazine donors and anthracen-9(10H)-one acceptors are incorporated into the polymeric backbones and side chains, respectively, and the carbazole derivative is copolymerized as the host. By incorporating different heteroatoms, such as nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur, with slightly different electronegativities into anthracen-9(10H)-one, the effect of the electron-withdrawing ability of the acceptor on the performance of conjugated TADF polymer-based OLEDs is thus systematically studied. It is found that the introduction of a nitrogen atom can enhance the spin-orbital coupling and RISC process due to the modulated energy levels and nature of the excited states. As a result, the solution-processed OLEDs based on the prepared polymer p-PXZ-XN display an excellent comprehensive performance with an EQEmax of 17.6%, a low turn-on voltage of 2.8 V, and a maximum brightness of 14750 cd m-2. Notably, the efficiency roll-off is quite low, maintaining 15.1% at 1000 cd m-2, 12.1% at 3000 cd m-2, and 6.1% at 10000 cd m-2, which ranks in the first tier among the reported TADF conjugated polymers. This work provides a guideline for constructing high-efficiency TADF polymers.

Strategy for an Effective Eco-Optimized Design of Heteroleptic Cu(I) Coordination Polymers Exhibiting Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence

The new series of copper(I) coordination polymers [Cu(N-N)(μ-PTA)]n[PF6]n {N-N = dmbpy (1), bpy (2), ncup (3), and phen (4)} were generated by straightforward reaction in solution or through a mechanochemical route, of [Cu(MeCN)4][PF6] with 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane (PTA) and the corresponding polypyridines, namely, 5,5'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine (dmbpy), 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy), 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (ncup), and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen). The compounds were obtained as air-stable solids and fully characterized by IR, NMR spectroscopy, and elemental analyses. The molecular structures were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis (for 1, 2, and 4), revealing infinite one-dimensional (1D) linear chains driven by μ-PTA N,P-linkers. All tested Cu(I) polymeric compounds show emission at room temperature, which was attributed to thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF). Evidence of the involvement of the excited singlet state in the emission process is presented. Comparing the photophysical properties of 1 and 2 as well as 3 and 4, of which 1 and 3 have a stiffened structure, by introducing a methyl group to one of the ligands, we demonstrate how TADF properties depend on molecular rigidity. It is shown that stiffening of the structure reduces the flattening distortion around the Cu(I) center in the 3MLCT state. As a result, the ΔE(S1-T1) energy gap becomes smaller and the fluorescence quantum yield increases without significantly extending the emission lifetime. In particular, the ΔE(S1-T1) values for complexes 1 and 3 are among the shortest reported in the scientific literature, 253 and 337 cm-1, and the TADF lifetimes are τ(300 K) = 5.7 and 4.2 μs, respectively. The fluorescence quantum yields for these complexes are measured to be ΦPL(300 K) = 70 and 80%.

Chemical Tailoring Assisted non-TADF to TADF Switching in Carbazole-Benzophenone Emitter - An In-silico Investigation

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have become one of the most popular lighting technologies since they offer several advantages over conventional devices. In carbazole-benzophenone (CzBP) OLED devices, the polymeric form of the compound is previously reported to be Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence (TADF)-active (ΔEST ≈0.12 eV), while the monomer (CzBP) (ΔEST ≈0.39 eV) does not. The present study examines the effect of chemical tailoring on the optical and photophysical properties of CzBP using DFT and TDDFT methods. The introduction of a single -NO2 group or di-substitution (-NO2 , -COOH or -CN) in the selected LUMO region of the reference CzBP monomer significantly reduces ΔEST ≈0.01 eV, projecting these systems as potential TADF-active emitters. Furthermore, the chemical modification of CzBP-LUMO alters the two-step TADF mechanism (T1 →T2 →S1 ) in CzBP (ES₁ >ET2 >ET₁ ) to the Direct Singlet Harvesting (T1 →S1 ) mechanism (ET2 >ES₁ >ET₁ ), which has recently been identified in the fourth-generation OLED materials.

Intramolecular locking and coumarin insertion: a stepwise approach for TADF design

Three novel TADF (thermally activated delayed fluorescence) emitters based on the well-studied Qx-Ph-DMAC fluorophore are designed and synthesized. The photophysical properties of these materials are studied from a theoretical and experimental point of view, demonstrating the cumulative effects of multiple small modifications that combine to afford significantly improved TADF performance. First, an extra phenyl ring is added to the acceptor part of Qx-Ph-DMAC to increase the conjugation length, resulting in BQx-Ph-DMAC, which acts as an intermediate molecular structure. Next, an electron-deficient coumarin unit is incorporated to fortify the electron accepting ability, affording ChromPy-Ph-DMAC with red-shifted emission. Finally, the conjugated system is further enlarged by 'locking' the molecular structure, generating DBChromQx-DMAC with further red-shifted emission. The addition of the coumarin unit significantly impacts the charge-transfer excited state energy levels with little effect on the locally excited states, resulting in a decrease of the singlet-triplet energy gap. As a result, the two coumarin-based emitters show considerably improved TADF performance in 1 w/w% zeonex films when compared to the initial Qx-Ph-DMAC structure. 'Locking' the molecular structure further lowers the singlet-triplet energy gap, resulting in more efficient reverse intersystem crossing and increasing the contribution of TADF to the total emission.

Investigating the influence of substituent groups in TTM based radicals for the excitation process: a theoretical study

Tri-(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)methyl (TTM) based radicals can be promising in providing relatively high fluorescence quantum efficiency. In this study, we have evaluated the photoluminescence properties of a series of TTM-based radicals by means of DFT and TD-DFT methods. The optimized structures of the ground states (D0) and the first excited states (D1) of all the radicals are calculated and the computed emission bands are comparable with previous experimental results. knr is determined from transition dipole moments (μ12) and the energy gaps between D0 and D1 (ΔE), both of which can be regulated by the conjugated structures from the substituent groups. knr was derived from the mode-averaging method and is consistent with the experimental results. Factors influencing kr and knr, including the potential energy differences (ΔG0), the vibrational reorganization energies (λ) and the electron coupling term (Hab), are discussed. By comparing kr and knr in solvents with different polarities (cyclohexane, toluene, and chloroform), TTM based radicals in cyclohexane exhibit the most promising fluorescence efficiencies. Besides, two substituted radicals, namely 2Br-TTM-3PCz and 2F-TTM-3PCz, have been fabricated. The results show that fluorine atoms are able to increase ΔG0 and a considerably small knr has been predicted. We expect that our calculation can benefit the design of light-emitting molecules in further experiments.

Branched Fluorenylidene Derivatives with Low Ionization Potentials as Hole-Transporting Materials for Perovskite Solar Cells

A group of small-molecule hole-transporting materials (HTMs) that are based on fluorenylidene fragments were synthesized and tested in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The investigated compounds were synthesized by a facile two-step synthesis, and their properties were measured using thermoanalytical, optoelectronic, and photovoltaic methods. The champion PSC device that was doped with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) reached a power conversion efficiency of 22.83%. The longevity of the PSC device with the best performing HTM, V1387, was evaluated in different conditions and compared to that of 2,2',7,7'-tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,9'-spirobifluorene (spiro-MeOTAD), showing improved stability. This work provides an alternative HTM strategy for fabricating efficient and stable PSCs.

Forthcoming hyperfluorescence display technology: relevant factors to achieve high-performance stable organic light emitting diodes

Over the decade, there have been developments in purely organic thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) materials for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). However, achieving narrow full width at half maximum (FWHM) and high external quantum efficiency (EQE) is crucial for real display industries. To overcome these hurdles, hyperfluorescence (HF) technology was proposed for next-generation OLEDs. In this technology, the TADF material was considered a sensitizing host, the so-called TADF sensitized host (TSH), for use of triplet excitons via the reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) pathway. Since most of the TADF materials show bipolar characteristics, electrically generated singlet and triplet exciton energies can be transported to the final fluorescent emitter (FE) through Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) rather than Dexter energy transfer (DET). This mechanism is possible from the S₁ state of the TSH to the S₁ state of the final fluorescent dopant (FD) as a long-range energy transfer. Considering this, some reports are available based on hyperfluorescence OLEDs, but the detailed analysis for highly efficient and stable devices for commercialization was unclear. So herein, we reviewed the relevant factors based on recent advancements to build a highly efficient and stable hyperfluorescence system. The factors include an energy transfer mechanism based on spectral overlapping, TSH requirements, electroluminescence study based on exciplex and polarity system, shielding effect, DET suppression, and FD orientation. Furthermore, the outlook and future positives with new directions were discussed to build high-performance OLEDs.

Rational Molecular Design Strategy for Host Materials in Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence-OLEDs Suitable for Solution Processing

Herein, a novel core molecule for V-shaped host molecules was synthesized, wherein two carbazoles were directly linked to cyclohexane. Cy-mCP and Cy-mCBP hosts were also successfully prepared for solution-processable thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes (TADF-OLEDs). The Cy-mCP and Cy-mCBP molecules contained a cyclohexane linker directly linked to two small molecular hosts (mCP and mCBP), exhibiting twice the molecular weight while maintaining the basic properties of a single host molecule with improved film-forming ability and solubility in organic solvents. These host materials showed superior thermal stability and high glass transition temperatures compared to lower molecular weight hosts. Green TADF-OLEDs were prepared using the two host materials and 2,4,5,6-tetra(3,6-di-tert-butylcarbazol-9-yl)-1,3-dicyanobenzene (t4CzIPN) emitter, achieving device efficiencies similar to that of a low-molecular-weight host. However, after the incorporation of a V-shaped host, superior characteristics were observed in terms of the thermal stability and operational stability of the device. The synthesis of V-shaped molecules by directly linking two carbazoles to a cyclohexane linker is promising for the development of different hosts for solution-processable OLEDs.

Nanoengineering Triplet-Triplet Annihilation Upconversion: From Materials to Real-World Applications

Using light to control matter has captured the imagination of scientists for generations, as there is an abundance of photons at our disposal. Yet delivering photons beyond the surface to many photoresponsive systems has proven challenging, particularly at scale, due to light attenuation via absorption and scattering losses. Triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC), a process which allows for low energy photons to be converted to high energy photons, is poised to overcome these challenges by allowing for precise spatial generation of high energy photons due to its nonlinear nature. With a wide range of sensitizer and annihilator motifs available for TTA-UC, many researchers seek to integrate these materials in solution or solid-state applications. In this Review, we discuss nanoengineering deployment strategies and highlight their uses in recent state-of-the-art examples of TTA-UC integrated in both solution and solid-state applications. Considering both implementation tactics and application-specific requirements, we identify critical needs to push TTA-UC-based applications from an academic curiosity to a scalable technology.

Building on the strengths of a double-hybrid density functional for excitation energies and inverted singlet-triplet energy gaps

It is demonstrated that a double hybrid density functional approximation, ωB88PTPSS, that incorporates equipartition of density functional theory and the non-local correlation, however with a meta-generalized gradient approximation correlation functional, as well as with the range-separated exchange of ωB2PLYP, provides accurate excitation energies for conventional systems, as well as correct prescription of negative singlet-triplet gaps for non-conventional systems with inverted gaps, without any necessity for parametric scaling of the same-spin and opposite-spin non-local correlation energies. Examined over "safe" excitations of the QUESTDB set, ωB88PTPSS performs quite well for open-shell systems, correctly and fairly accurately [relative to equation-of-motion coupled-cluster singles and doubles (EOM-CCSD) reference] predicts negative gaps for 50 systems with inverted singlet-triplet gaps, and is one of the leading performers for intramolecular charge-transfer excitations and achieves near-second-order approximate coupled cluster (CC2) and second-order algebraic diagrammatic construction quality for the Q1 and Q2 subsets. Subsequently, we tested ωB88PTPSS on two sets of real-life examples from recent computational chemistry literature-the low energy bands of chlorophyll a (Chl a) and a set of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) systems. For Chl a, ωB88PTPSS qualitatively and quantitatively achieves DLPNO-STEOM-CCSD-level performance and provides excellent agreement with experiment. For TADF systems, ωB88PTPSS agrees quite well with spin-component-scaled CC2 (SCS-CC2) excitation energies, as well as experimental values, for the gaps between the S₁ and T₁ excited states.

New Light-Green Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Polymer Based on Dimethylacridine-Triphenyltriazine Light-Emitting Unit and Tetraphenylsilane Moiety as Non-Conjugated Backbone

In the search for solution-processable TADF materials as a light emitting layer for OLED devices, polymers have attracted considerable attention due to their better thermal and morphological properties in the film state with respect to small molecules. In this work, a new polymer (p-TPS-DMAC-TRZ) with thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) light-emitting characteristics was prepared from a conjugation-break unit (TPS) and a well-known TADF core (DAMC-TRZ). This material was designed to preserve the photophysical properties of DAMC-TRZ, while improving other properties, such as thermal stability, promoted by its polymerization with a TPS core. Along with excellent solubility in common organic solvents such as toluene, chloroform and THF, the polymer (M_n = 9500; M_w = 15200) showed high thermal stability (TDT_5% = 481 °C), and a T_g value of 265 °C, parameters higher than the reference small molecule DMAC-TRZ (TDT_5% = 305 °C; T_g = 91 °C). The photoluminescence maximum of the polymer was centered at 508 nm in the solid state, showing a low redshift compared to DMAC-TRZ (500 nm), while also showing a redshift in solution with solvents of increasing polarity. Time-resolved photoluminescence of p-TPS-DMAC-TRZ at 298 K, showed considerable delayed emission in solid state, with two relatively long lifetimes, 0.290 s (0.14) and 2.06 s (0.50), and a short lifetime of 23.6 ns, while at 77 K, the delayed emission was considerably quenched, and two lifetimes in total were observed, 24.6 ns (0.80) and 180 ns (0.20), which was expected from the slower RISC process at lower temperatures, decreasing the efficiency of the delayed emission and demonstrating that p-TPS-DMAC-TRZ has a TADF emission. This is in agreement with room temperature TRPL measurements in solution, where a decrease in both lifetime and delayed contribution to total photoluminescence was observed when oxygen was present. The PLQY of the mCP blend films with 1% p-TPS-DMAC-DMAC-TRZ as a dopant was determined to be equal to 0.62, while in the pure film, it was equal to 0.29, which is lower than that observed for DMAC-TRZ (0.81). Cyclic voltammetry experiments showed similarities between p-TPS-DMAC-TRZ and DAMC-TRZ with HOMO and LUMO energies of -5.14 eV and -2.76 eV, respectively, establishing an electrochemical bandgap value of 2.38 eV. The thin film morphology of p-TPS-DMAC-TRZ and DMAC-TRZ was compared by AFM and FE-SEM, and the results showed that p-TPS-DMAC-TRZ has a smoother surface with fewer defects, such as aggregations. These results show that the design strategy succeeded in improving the thermal and morphological properties in the polymeric material compared to the reference small molecule, while the photophysical properties were mostly maintained, except for the PLQY determined in the pure films. Still, these results show that p-TPS-DMAC-TRZ is a good candidate for use as a light-emitting layer in OLED devices, especially when used as a host-guest mixture in suitable materials such as mCP.

Ornamenting of Blue Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Emitters by Anchor Groups for the Minimization of Solid-State Solvation and Conformation Disorder Corollaries in Non-Doped and Doped Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

Motivated to minimize the effects of solid-state solvation and conformation disorder on emission properties of donor-acceptor-type emitters, we developed five new asymmetric multiple donor-acceptor type derivatives of tert-butyl carbazole and trifluoromethyl benzene exploiting different electron-accepting anchoring groups. Using this design strategy, for a compound containing four di-tert-butyl carbazole units as donors as well as 5-methyl pyrimidine and trifluoromethyl acceptor moieties, small singlet-triplet splitting of ca. 0.03 eV, reverse intersystem crossing rate of 1 × 10⁶ s^-1, and high photoluminescence quantum yield of neat film of ca. 75% were achieved. This compound was also characterized by the high value of hole and electron mobilities of 8.9 × 10^-4 and 5.8 × 10^-4 cm² V^-1 s^-1 at an electric field of 4.7 × 10⁵ V/cm, showing relatively good hole/electron balance, respectively. Due to the lowest conformational disorder and solid-state solvation effects, this compound demonstrated very similar emission properties (emission colors) in non-doped and differently doped organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The lowest conformational disorder was observed for the compound with the additional accepting moiety inducing steric hindrance, limiting donor-acceptor dihedral rotational freedom. It can be exploited in the multi-donor-acceptor approach, increasing the efficiency. Using an emitter exhibiting the minimized solid-state solvation and conformation disorder effects, the sky blue OLED with the emitting layer of this compound dispersed in host 1,3-bis(N-carbazolyl)benzene displayed an emission peak at 477 nm, high brightness over 39 000 cd/m², and external quantum efficiency up to 15.9% along with a maximum current efficiency of 42.6 cd/A and a maximum power efficiency of 24.1 lm/W.

Quantum Dot-Based White Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Excited by a Blue OLED

In this study, white organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) consisting of red quantum dots (RQD) and green quantum dots (GQD) were investigated. These are the most exciting new lighting technologies that have grown rapidly in recent years. The white OLED development processes used consisted of the following methods: (a) fabrication of a blue single-emitting layer OLED, (b) nanoimprinting into QD photoresists, and (c) green and red QD photoresists as color conversion layers (CCL) excited by blue OLEDs. To fabricate the blue OLED, the HATCN/TAPC pair was selected for the hole injection/transport layer on ITO and TPBi for the electron transport layer. For blue-emitting material, we used a novel polycyclic framework of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) material, ν-DABNA, which does not utilize any heavy metals and has a sharp and narrow (FWHM 28 nm) electroluminescence spectrum. The device structure was ITO/HATCN (20 nm)/TAPC (30 nm)/MADN: ν-DABNA (40 nm)/TPBi (30 nm)/LiF (0.8 nm)/Al (150 nm) with an emitting area of 1 cm × 1 cm. The current density, luminance, and efficiency of blue OLEDs at 8 V are 87.68 mA/cm2, 963.9 cd/m2, and 1.10 cd/A, respectively. Next, the bottom emission side of the blue OLED was attached to nanoimprinted RQD and GQD photoresists, which were excited by the blue OLED in order to generate an orange and a green color, respectively, and combined with blue light to achieve a nearly white light. In this study, two different excitation architectures were tested: BOLED→GQD→RQD and BOLED→RQD→GQD. The EL spectra showed that the BOLED→GQD→RQD architecture had stronger green emissions than BOLED→RQD→GQD because the blue OLED excited the GQD PR first then RQD PR. Due to the energy gap architectures in BOLED-GQD-RQD, the green QD absorbed part of the blue light emitted from the BOLED, and the remaining blue light penetrated the GQD to reach the RQD. These excited spectra were very close to the white light, which resulted in three peaks emitting at 460, 530, and 620 nm. The original blue CIE coordinates were (0.15, 0.07). After the excitation combination, the CIE coordinates were (0.42, 0.33), which was close to the white light position.

Multi-conformational Luminescence and Phosphorescence of Few Phenazine 1,2,3-triazole Molecules

Dropcast films produced from blends solutions of phenazine 1,2,3-triazole molecules in very low concentrations in a 1,3-Bis (N-carbazolyl) benzene (mCP) matrix were investigated at room tem-perature. The mCP acts as an optically inert matrix, having no influence on the emission properties of the guest molecules. Its conductive properties ensure the blend films as completely organic active layers. The fluorescent and phosphorescent emissions of the guest molecules in blue, green, red and also in white are relatively intense, without the need to mix different organic materials. The excitation of the system occurs directly by the incident laser beam on the films. The steady-state spectroscopy for the blue monomer and green dimer singlet fluorescence emissions were investigated. The analysis of their temporal decays was done using a different approach based on the Exponentially Modified Gaussian function. The phosphorescent emissions of the triplet steady-states, in the orange or in the red wavelength regions, were observed to be correlated, respectively, to the formation of guest monomers or to the guest dimers singlet states.

Exciton Up-Conversion by Well-Distributed Carbon Quantum Dots in Luminescent Materials for an Efficient Organic Light-Emitting Diode

In this work, we proposed an efficient and straightforward up-conversion process to enhance the external quantum efficiency in a red-emission organic light-emitting diode (OLED). The carbon quantum dots in the luminescent materials initiated the up-conversion by doping the (6,6)-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) in an amount of 0.001 wt. %, and the external quantum efficiency (EQE) increased from approximately 80% to 9.27% without spectrum change. The time-resolved photoluminescence was applied to understand the mechanism of EQE enhancement in the PCBM-doped OLED. Two decay-time constants fit the TRPL. After PCBM doping, the extended PL intensity indicated increased time constants. The time constants increased from 1.06 and 4.02 ns of the reference sample to 3.48 and 11.29 ns of the PCBM-doped material, respectively. The nonradiative energy transfer (NRET) mechanism was proposed responsible for the decay-time enhancement. The excitons in the PCBM, either by excitation or injection, will transfer to the phosphorescent material nonradiatively. As the PCBM has lower energy levels than the luminous material for electrons, the backward exciton transfer is a kind of up-conversion. With the increased amounts of excitons in the luminescent material, the luminescent external quantum efficiency and the decay-time increased. This up-conversion method is not limited to the red-emission OLED; it could also be applied to blue or green emission.

Temporal Dynamics of Solid-State Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence: Disorder or Ultraslow Solvation?

Time-resolved emission spectra of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) compounds in solid hosts demonstrate significant temporal shifts. To explain the shifts, two possible mechanisms were suggested, namely, slow solid-state solvation and conformational disorder. Here we employ solid hosts with controllable polarity for analysis of the temporal dynamics of TADF. We show that temporal fluorescence shifts are independent of the dielectric constant of the solid film; however, these shifts evidently depend on the structural parameters of both the host and the TADF dopant. A ≤50% smaller emission peak shift was observed in more rigid polymer host polystyrene than in poly(methyl methacrylate). The obtained results imply that both the host and the dopant should be as rigid as possible to minimize fluorescence instability.

Blue-red emitting materials based on a pyrido[2,3-b]pyrazine backbone: design and tuning of the photophysical, aggregation-induced emission, electrochemical and theoretical properties

Pyrido[2,3-b]pyrazine-based donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) molecules were designed by altering donor amines and synthesized using the Buchwald-Hartwig C-N coupling reaction. Further, the tunable opto-electrochemical properties of the dyes were studied in detail. The dye possesses intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) transition (412-485 nm), which marked the D-A architecture and induces a broad range of emissions from blue to red (486-624 nm) in the solution and solid state. Some of the dyes show aggregation-induced emission (AIE) features and formation of nanoparticles in the THF/H2O mixture, as confirmed by DLS and FEG-SEM (of 7) analysis. The AIE characteristics indicate its solid/aggregate-state application in organic electronics. The molecules exhibit high thermal stability, low band gap (1.67-2.36 eV) and comparable HOMO (-5.34 to -5.97 eV) and LUMO (-3.61 to -3.70 eV) energy levels with those of reported ambipolar materials. The relationship between the geometrical structure and optoelectronic properties of the dyes, as well as their twisted molecular conformation and small singlet and triplet excitation energy difference (ΔE ST = 0.01-0.23 eV) were analyzed using the DFT/TDDFT method. Thus, potential applications of the dyes are proposed for optoelectronic devices.

TADF-based NIR-II semiconducting polymer dots for in vivo 3D bone imaging

Intraoperative fluorescence imaging in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) region heralds a new era in image-guided surgery since the success in the first-in-human liver-tumor surgery guided by NIR-II fluorescence. Limited by the conventional small organic NIR dyes such as FDA-approved indocyanine green with suboptimal NIR-II fluorescence and non-targeting ability, the resulting shallow penetration depth and high false positive diagnostic values have been challenging. Described here is the design of NIR-II emissive semiconducting polymer dots (Pdots) incorporated with thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) moieties to exhibit emission maxima of 1064–1100 nm and fluorescence quantum yields of 0.40–1.58% in aqueous solutions. To further understand how the TADF units affect the molecular packing and the resulting optical properties of Pdots, in-depth and thorough density-functional theory calculations were carried out to better understand the underlying mechanisms. We then applied these Pdots for in vivo 3D bone imaging in mice. This work provides a direction for future designs of NIR-II Pdots and holds promising applications for bone-related diseases.

A series of NIR-II fluorescent TADF-incorporated polymer dots were successfully synthesized. The function of the TADF moiety was fully studied and the bio-applications of these polymer dots including bone imaging were also demonstrated.

Highly efficient carbazolylgold(iii) dendrimers based on thermally activated delayed fluorescence and their application in solution-processed organic light-emitting devices

A new class of C^C^N ligand-containing carbazolylgold(iii) dendrimers has been designed and synthesized. High photoluminescence quantum yields of up to 82% in solid-state thin films and large radiative decay rate constants in the order of 10⁵ s⁻¹ are observed. These gold(iii) dendrimers are found to exhibit thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF), as supported by variable-temperature emission spectroscopy, time-resolved photoluminescence decay and computational studies. Solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on these gold(iii) dendrimers have been fabricated, which exhibit a maximum current efficiency of 52.6 cd A⁻¹, maximum external quantum efficiency of 15.8% and high power efficiency of 41.3 lm W⁻¹. The operational stability of these OLEDs has also been recorded, with the devices based on zero- and second-generation dendrimers showing maximum half-lifetimes of 1305 and 322 h at 100 cd m⁻², respectively, representing the first demonstration of operationally stable solution-processed OLEDs based on gold(iii) dendrimers.

A new class of carbazolylgold(iii) C^C^N dendrimers with thermally activated delayed fluorescence properties has been designed and synthesized for the realzaqtion of operationally stable solution-processed organic light-emitting devices.

High-throughput virtual screening for organic electronics: a comparative study of alternative strategies

We present a review of the field of high-throughput virtual screening for organic electronics materials focusing on the sequence of methodological choices that determine each virtual screening protocol. These choices are present in all high-throughput virtual screenings and addressing them systematically will lead to optimised workflows and improve their applicability. We consider the range of properties that can be computed and illustrate how their accuracy can be determined depending on the quality and size of the experimental datasets. The approaches to generate candidates for virtual screening are also extremely varied and their relative strengths and weaknesses are discussed. The analysis of high-throughput virtual screening is almost never limited to the identification of top candidates and often new patterns and structure-property relations are the most interesting findings of such searches. The review reveals a very dynamic field constantly adapting to match an evolving landscape of applications, methodologies and datasets.

Efficient Exciplex-Based Deep-Blue Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Employing a Bis(4-fluorophenyl)amine-Substituted Heptazine Acceptor

The realization of a deep-blue-emitting exciplex system is a herculean task in the field of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) on account of a large red-shifted and broadened exciplex emission spectrum in comparison to those of the corresponding single compounds. Herein, 2,5,8-tris(di(4-fluorophenyl)amine)-1,3,4,6,7,9,9b-heptaazaphenalene (HAP-3FDPA) was designed as an electron acceptor by integrating three bis(4-fluorophenyl)amine groups into a heptazine core, while 1,3-di(9H-carbazol-9-yl)benzene (mCP) possessing two electron-donating carbazole moieties was chosen as the electron donor. Excitingly, the exciplex system of 8 wt% HAP-3FDPA:mCP exhibited deep-blue emission and a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 53.2%. More importantly, an OLED containing this exciplex system as an emitting layer showed deep-blue emission with Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage coordinates of (0.16, 0.12), a peak luminance of 15,148 cd m-2, and a rather high maximum external quantum efficiency of 10.2% along with a low roll-off. This study not only reports an efficient exciplex-based deep-blue emitter but also presents a feasible pathway to construct highly efficient deep-blue OLEDs based on exciplex systems.

Molecular Design and Synthesis of Dicarbazolophane-Based Centrosymmetric Through-Space Donors for Solution-Processed Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence OLEDs

Conjugation-extended carbazolophane donors, dicarbazolophanes (DCzp), were designed and synthesized using a multifold stepwise Pd-catalyzed Buchwald-Hartwig amination/ring cyclization process. Furthermore, elaboration of the DCzp core is possible with the introduction of pendant carbazole derivative groups. This provides a way to tune the optoelectronic properties of the thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) compounds DCzpTRZtBu, dtBuCzDCzpTRZtBu, and dMeOCzDCzpTRZtBu. Solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) were fabricated and achieved a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE_max) of 8.2% and an EQE of 7.9% at 100 cd/m².

Efficient Deep-Blue Electroluminescence Employing Heptazine-Based Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence

We report an efficient deep-blue organic light-emitting diode (OLED) based on a heptazine-based thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) emitter, 2,5,8-tris(diphenylamine)-tri-s-triazine (HAP-3DPA). The deep-blue-emitting compound, HAP-3DPA, was designed and synthesized by combining the relatively rigid electron-accepting heptazine core with three electron-donating diphenylamine units. Due to the rigid molecular structure and intramolecular charge transfer characteristics, HAP-3DPA in solid state presented a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 67.0% and obvious TADF nature with a short delayed fluorescent lifetime of 1.1 μs. Most importantly, an OLED incorporating HAP-3DPA exhibited deep-blue emission with Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.16, 0.13), a peak luminance of 10,523 cd/m−2, and a rather high external quantum efficiency of 12.5% without any light out-coupling enhancement. This finding not only reports an efficient deep-blue TADF molecule, but also presents a feasible pathway to construct high-performance deep-blue emitters and devices based on the heptazine skeleton.

Red to orange thermally activated delayed fluorescence polymers based on 2-(4-(diphenylamino)-phenyl)-9H-thioxanthen-9-one-10,10-dioxide for efficient solution-processed OLEDs

Most highly efficient thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF)-based organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are multi-layer devices fabricated by thermal vacuum evaporation techniques, which are unfavorable for real applications. However, there are only a few reported examples of efficient solution-processed TADF OLEDs, in particular TADF polymer OLEDs. Herein, a series of solution-processable TADF conjugated polymers (PCTXO/PCTXO-Fx (x = 25, 50 and 75)) were designed and synthesized by copolymerization of 2-(4-(diphenylamino)-phenyl)-9H-thioxanthen-9-one-10,10-dioxide (TXO-TPA) as a red/orange emissive TADF unit, 9,9'-((fluorene-9,9-diyl)-bis(octane-8,1-diyl))-bis(3,6-di-tert-butylcarbazole) as host/hole-transporting unit and 2,7-N-(heptadecan-9-yl)carbazole as a conjugated linker and solubilizing group. They possessed a conjugated backbone with donor TPA-carbazole/fluorene moieties and a pendent acceptor 9H-thioxanthen-9-one-10,10-dioxide (TXO) forming a twisted donor-acceptor structure. These polymers in neat films displayed red/orange color emissions (601-655 nm) with TADF properties, proved by theory calculations and transient PL decay measurements. Their hole-transporting capability was improved when the content of 9,9'-((fluorene-9,9-diyl)-bis(octane-8,1-diyl))-bis(3,6-di-tert-butylcarbazole) within the polymers increased. All polymers were successfully employed as emitters in solution-processed OLEDs. In particular, the doped OLED fabricated with PCTXO exhibited an intense deep orange emission at 603 nm with the best electroluminescence performance (a maximum external quantum efficiency 10.44%, a maximum current efficiency of 14.97 cd A-1 and a turn-on voltage of 4.2 V).

Pathways to increase the dissymmetry in the interaction of chiral light and chiral molecules

The dissymmetric interaction between circularly polarised (CP) light and chiral molecules is central to a range of areas, from spectroscopy and imaging to next-generation photonic devices. However, the selectivity in absorption or emission of left-handed versus right-handed CP light is low for many molecular systems. In this perspective, we assess the magnitude of the measured chiroptical response for a variety of chiral systems, ranging from small molecules to large supramolecular assemblies, and highlight the challenges towards enhancing chiroptical activity. We explain the origins of low CP dissymmetry and showcase recent examples in which molecular design, and the modification of light itself, enable larger responses. Our discussion spans spatial extension of the chiral chromophore, manipulation of transition dipole moments, exploitation of forbidden transitions and creation of macroscopic chiral structures; all of which can increase the dissymmetry. Whilst the specific strategy taken to enhance the dissymmetric interaction will depend on the application of interest, these approaches offer hope for the development and advancement of all research fields that involve interactions of chiral molecules and light.

Heptazine-Based π-Conjugated Materials for Light-Emitting

On the basis of planar and relatively rigid nitrogen-rich heterocyclic system of the heptazine core, heptazine-based π-conjugated materials have aroused widespread attention over the past decade by virtue of the fascinating electronic, optical, thermal, and mechanical properties in the fields of light-emitting, photocatalysis, sensors, environmental remediation, and so forth. However, there are still several obstacles to be solved before practical applications, such as low photoluminescence quantum efficiencies for light-emitting and weak visible absorption for photocatalysis. To further enhance various properties of heptazine-based π-conjugated materials, a series of strategies have been developed, including ingenious molecular design and modification, novel synthetic, and preparation methods. In this review, the significant progress of monomeric and polymeric heptazine-based π-conjugated materials and their applications typically in light-emitting are reviewed, which is beneficial for the acceleration of practical applications of heptazine-based materials and devices.

Efficient white light-emitting polymers from dual thermally activated delayed fluorescence chromophores for non-doped solution processed white electroluminescent devices

Conjugated TADF copolymers comprised of two TADF molecules linked with carbazole exhibited stable pure white emission from non-doped OLEDs with CIE coordinates (0.32, 0.35), a maximum luminance efficiency of 9.13 cd A⁻¹, and a maximum EQE of 4.17%.