Strategic azepine engineering realizes highly efficient and stable blue narrowband light-emitting diodes

Developing high-resolution organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) faces significant challenges, particularly in the blue light region. Multiple resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) has been recognized as a breakthrough in next-generation TADF and high-quality displays due to its narrow bandwidth, exceptional color purity, and high efficiency. Extensive efforts have been devoted to introducing auxiliary groups into the BBCz-SB scaffold to improve OLED efficiency; however, such modifications often lead to undesirable emission shifts from sky-blue to green. Herein, we present a strategic azepine engineering approach that enables deeper blue emission with high efficiency and stability. The azepine-containing compounds tCzAzBN, tCzPAzBN, and tCzPAzBN-d10 are synthesized <i>via</i> mild one-shot borylation in superior yields. Introducing a twisted azepine at the <i>para</i> position of the MR core induces a blue-shifted emission and a narrow singlet-triplet energy gap. Notably, tCzPAzBN with phenyl-substituted azepine exhibits a higher horizontal ratio, boosting the OLED efficiency to an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 35.2%. Furthermore, deuterium substitution in tCzPAzBN-d10 markedly enhances the operational lifetime of the OLED. Incorporating a newly developed TADF assistant dopant enables the corresponding hyperfluorescence device to achieve an EQE exceeding 40%, thereby setting a new benchmark among single-boron-based blue OLEDs. This azepine-centered molecular design provides a robust platform for developing MR-TADF materials that meet the demands of next-generation OLEDs in terms of color definition, high efficiency, and long-term operational stability.

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Publication Details

Journal
Materials Horizons
Published
2025-01-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/d5mh01084e
Citations
3
Primary Topic
Semiconductor Lasers and Optical Devices
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.19
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article

Strategic azepine engineering realizes highly efficient and stable blue narrowband light-emitting diodes

Yu‐Chieh Chao, Yu‐Cheng Kung, Wen‐Yi Hung, Yi-Kuan Chen et al.
3 citations
Materials Horizons
Semiconductor Lasers and Optical Devices
2.19
article

Strategic azepine engineering realizes highly efficient and stable blue narrowband light-emitting diodes

Yu‐Chieh Chao, Yu‐Cheng Kung, Wen‐Yi Hung, Yi-Kuan Chen, Liang‐Yan Hsu, Jian Bo Lei, Tien‐Lin Wu
article en
3 citations

Abstract

Developing high-resolution organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) faces significant challenges, particularly in the blue light region. Multiple resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) has been recognized as a breakthrough in next-generation TADF and high-quality displays due to its narrow bandwidth, exceptional color purity, and high efficiency. Extensive efforts have been devoted to introducing auxiliary groups into the BBCz-SB scaffold to improve OLED efficiency; however, such modifications often lead to undesirable emission shifts from sky-blue to green. Herein, we present a strategic azepine engineering approach that enables deeper blue emission with high efficiency and stability. The azepine-containing compounds tCzAzBN, tCzPAzBN, and tCzPAzBN-d10 are synthesized <i>via</i> mild one-shot borylation in superior yields. Introducing a twisted azepine at the <i>para</i> position of the MR core induces a blue-shifted emission and a narrow singlet-triplet energy gap. Notably, tCzPAzBN with phenyl-substituted azepine exhibits a higher horizontal ratio, boosting the OLED efficiency to an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 35.2%. Furthermore, deuterium substitution in tCzPAzBN-d10 markedly enhances the operational lifetime of the OLED. Incorporating a newly developed TADF assistant dopant enables the corresponding hyperfluorescence device to achieve an EQE exceeding 40%, thereby setting a new benchmark among single-boron-based blue OLEDs. This azepine-centered molecular design provides a robust platform for developing MR-TADF materials that meet the demands of next-generation OLEDs in terms of color definition, high efficiency, and long-term operational stability.

Materials HorizonsVol. 12(22)
National Taiwan Ocean University (TW), National Taiwan University (TW), National Tsing Hua University (TW), National Center for Theoretical Sciences (TW), Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica (TW), National Center for Theoretical Sciences, Physics Division, Chongqing Three Gorges University (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 11%
Semiconductor Lasers and Optical Devices
2.19
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