Influence of host matrix on thermally-activated delayed fluorescence: Effects on emission lifetime, photoluminescence quantum yield, and device performance

Gábor Méhes, Kenichi Goushi, William J. Potscavage, Chihaya Adachi*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

138 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The influence of the host molecules on the photoluminescent (PL) and electroluminescent (EL) properties of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) emitters showing efficient thermally-activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) has yet to be investigated in detail. Here we demonstrate that the choice of host can cause large variations in the PL quantum yield (ΦPL ∼15-70%) and delayed PL transient decay (τdel ∼2-70 ms) of a spiro-acridine-based TADF guest. We show that the effect of exciplex formation on ΦPL must be considered even at low concentrations of the TADF guest. Using the same TADF guest but changing the host layer, we are able to greatly vary the PL transient decay time from ∼4 to ∼70 ms while maintaining a high ΦPL ∼70%, which can lead to new applications. Detailed spectral characterization during PL decay reveals a gradually increasing singlet-triplet energy gap (ΔEST) as the origin of these observations. The time-varying ΔEST is explained based on dipole interactions between the host and guest molecules. Finally, PL and electrical considerations for host selection are discussed based on the performance of OLED devices.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2027-2037
Number of pages11
JournalOrganic Electronics
Volume15
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014 Sept
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Exciplex
  • Host dependence
  • Organic light-emitting diodes
  • Oxygen sensing
  • Spiro compounds
  • Thermally-activated delayed fluorescence

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Chemistry(all)
  • Biomaterials
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • Materials Chemistry

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