Achieving 19.5% Efficiency via Modulating Electronic Properties of Peripheral Aryl-Substituted Small-Molecule Acceptors.

The advancement of acceptors plays a pivotal role in determining photovoltaic performance. While previous efforts have focused on optimizing acceptor-donor-acceptor1-donor-acceptor (A-DA1-D-A)-typed acceptors by adjusting side chains, end groups, and conjugated extension of the electron-deficient central A1 unit, the systematic exploration of the impact of peripheral aryl substitutions, particularly with different electron groups, on the A1 unit and its influence on device performance is still lacking. In this study, three novel acceptors - QxTh, QxPh, and QxPy - with distinct substitutions on the quinoxaline (Qx) are designed and synthesized. Density functional theory (DFT) analyses reveal that QxPh, featuring a phenyl-substituted Qx, exhibits the smallest molecular binding energies and a tightest π···π stacking distance. Consequently, the PM6:QxPh device demonstrates a better power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.1% compared to the blends incorporating QxTh (16.4%) and QxPy (15.7%). This enhancement is primarily attributed to suppressed charge recombination, improved charge extraction, and more favorable molecular stacking and morphology. Importantly, introducing QxPh as a guest acceptor into the PM6:BTP-eC9 binary system yields an outstanding PCE of 19.5%, indicating the substantial potential of QxPh in advancing ternary device performance. The work provides deep insights into the expansion of high-performance organic photovoltaic materials through peripheral aryl substitution strategy.

Narrowband Near-Infrared Multiple-Resonance Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Emitters towards High-Performance and Stable Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

Multiple-resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) materials are highly coveted for their high efficiency and narrowband emission in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Nevertheless, the development of near-infrared (NIR) MR-TADF emitters remains a formidable challenge. In this study, we design two new NIR MR-TADF emitters, PXZ-R-BN and BCz-R-BN, by embedding 10H-phenoxazine (PXZ) and 7H-dibenzo[c,g]carbazole (BCz) fragments to increase the electron-donating ability or extending π-conjugation on the framework of para-boron fusing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Both compounds emit in the NIR region, with a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 49 nm (0.13 eV) for PXZ-R-BN and 43 nm (0.11 eV) for BCz-R-BN in toluene. To sensitize the two NIR MR-TADF emitters in OLEDs, a new platinum complex, Pt-1, is designed as a sensitizer. The PXZ-R-BN-based sensitized OLEDs achieve a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQEmax ) of nearly 30 % with an emission band at 693 nm, and exceptional long operational stability with an LT97 (time to 97 % of the initial luminance) value of 39084 h at an initial radiance of 1000 mW sr-1 m-2 . The BCz-R-BN-based OLEDs reach EQEmax values of 24.2 % with an emission band at 713 nm, which sets a record value for NIR OLEDs with emission bands beyond 700 nm.

Precise Methylation Yields Acceptor with Hydrogen-Bonding Network for High-Efficiency and Thermally Stable Polymer Solar Cells.

Utilizing intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions stands for an effective approach in advancing the efficiency and stability of small-molecule acceptors (SMAs) for polymer solar cells. Herein, we synthesized three SMAs (Qo1, Qo2, and Qo3) using indeno[1,2-b]quinoxalin-11-one (Qox) as the electron-deficient group, with the incorporation of a methylation strategy. Through crystallographic analysis, it is observed that two Qox-based methylated acceptors (Qo2 and Qo3) exhibit multiple hydrogen bond-assisted 3D network transport structures, in contrast to the 2D transport structure observed in gem-dichlorinated counterpart (Qo4). Notably, Qo2 exhibits multiple and stronger hydrogen-bonding interactions compared with Qo3. Consequently, PM6 : Qo2 device realizes the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18.4 %, surpassing the efficiencies of devices based on Qo1 (15.8 %), Qo3 (16.7 %), and Qo4 (2.4 %). This remarkable PCE in PM6 : Qo2 device can be primarily ascribed to the enhanced donor-acceptor miscibility, more favorable medium structure, and more efficient charge transfer and collection behavior. Moreover, the PM6 : Qo2 device demonstrates exceptional thermal stability, retaining 82.8 % of its initial PCE after undergoing annealing at 65 °C for 250 hours. Our research showcases that precise methylation, particularly targeting the formation of intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions to tune crystal packing patterns, represents a promising strategy in the molecular design of efficient and stable SMAs.

A Tetrahedral Bisacridine Donor Enables Fast Radiative Decay in Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Emitter.

Achieving high efficiency and low efficiency roll-off simultaneously is of great significance for further application of thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) emitters. A balance between radiative decay and reversed intersystem crossing must be carefully established. Herein, we propose a qunolino-acridine (QAc) donor composing two acridine with both planar (pAc) and bended (bAc) geometries. Combining with triazine, a TADF emitter QAc-TRZ is assembled. The pAc provides a well interaction with triazine which ensures a decent TADF behavior, while the bAc offers a delocalization of highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) which guarantees an enhancement of radiative decay. Remarkably, QAc-TRZ enables a highly efficient organic light emitting diode (OLED) with maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 37.3 %. More importantly, the efficiencies under 100/1000 cd m-2 stay 36.3 % and 31.7 %, respectively, and remain 21.5 % even under 10 000 cd m-2 .

High-Performance Organic Solar Cells Containing Pyrido[2,3-b]quinoxaline-Core-Based Small-Molecule Acceptors with Optimized Orbit Overlap Lengths and Molecular Packing.

The central core in A-DA1 D-A-type small-molecule acceptor (SMAs) plays an important role in determining the efficiency of organic solar cells (OSCs), while the principles governing the efficient design of SMAs remain elusive. Herein, we developed a series of SMAs with pyrido[2,3-b]quinoxaline (PyQx) as new electron-deficient unit by combining with the cascade-chlorination strategy, namely Py1, Py2, Py3, Py4 and Py5. The introduction of chlorine atoms reduces the intramolecular charge transfer effects but elevates the LUMO values. Density functional theory (DFT) reveals that Py2 with ortho chlorine substituted PyQx and Py5 with two chlorine atoms yield larger dipole moments and smaller π⋅⋅⋅π stacking distances, as compared with the other three acceptors. Moreover, Py2 shows the strongest light absorption capability induced by extended orbit overlap lengths and more efficient packing structures in the dimers. These features endow the best device performance of Py2 due to the better molecular packing and aggregation behaviors, more suitable domain sizes with better exciton dissociation and charge recombination. This study highlights the significance of incorporating large dipole moments, small π⋅⋅⋅π stacking distances and extended orbit overlap lengths in dimers into the development of high-performance SMAs, providing insight into the design of efficient A-DA1 D-A-type SMAs for OSCs.

Modulating the Electron-Donating Ability of Acridine Donor Units for Orange-Red Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Emitters.

The development of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters with orange-red emission still lags behind that of their blue, green, and yellow counterparts. Recent research to address this problem mainly focused on developing new acceptor units. There were few donor units designed especially for orange-red emitters. Herein, with benzothiophene fused to a diphenylacridine donor unit, a new donor moiety, namely, 5,5-diphenyl-5,13-dihydrobenzo[4,5]thieno[3,2-c]acridine (BTDPAc), was designed and synthesized. Benefiting from the strong electron-donating ability of the new donor moiety, a new TADF emitter, 2-[4'-(tert-butyl)(1,1'-biphenyl)-4-yl]-6-[5,5-diphenylbenzo[4,5]thieno[3,2-c]acridin-13(5H)-yl]-1H-benzo[de]isoquinoline-1,3(2H)-dione (BTDPAc-PhNAI), shows an orange-red emission with a maximum at 610 nm in dilute toluene solution. Also, with the help of the diphenyl rings of the donor unit, high photoluminescence quantum yields were achieved for BTDPAc-PhNAI over a wide concentration range. Consequently, an orange-red organic light-emitting diode based on BTDPAc-PhNAI achieved a high external quantum efficiency of nearly 20 %, which was comparable to state-of-the-art device performances with similar emission spectra.

Phenoxazine-Dibenzothiophene Sulfoximine Emitters Featuring Both Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence and Aggregation Induced Emission.

In this work, we demonstrate dibenzothiophene sulfoximine derivatives as building blocks for constructing emitters featuring both thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties, with multiple advantages including high chemical and thermal stability, facile functionalization, as well as tunable electron-accepting ability. A series of phenoxazine-dibenzothiophene sulfoximine structured TADF emitters were successfully synthesized and their photophysical and electroluminescent properties were evaluated. The electroluminescence devices based on these emitters displayed diverse emissions from yellow to orange and reached external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) of 5.8% with 16.7% efficiency roll-off at a high brightness of 1000 cd·m-2.

Polymorph-Dependent Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Emitters: Understanding TADF from a Perspective of Aggregation State.

Current research on thermally activated fluorescence (TADF) emitters is mainly based on the molecular levels, while the aggregation states of TADF emitters are to be explored deeply. Now two multifunctional emitters are reported with simultaneous TADF, aggregation induced emission (AIE), and multicolor mechanochromic luminescence (MCL) features. Both emitters also show polymorph-dependent TADF emission. Crystal structure analysis reveals that the polymorphism is ascribed to the mutable conformations in different aggregation states. This work brings new insight to TADF emitters from a perspective of aggregation states.

A Simple Organic Molecule Realizing Simultaneous TADF, RTP, AIE, and Mechanoluminescence: Understanding the Mechanism Behind the Multifunctional Emitter.

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE), thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF), room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP), and mechanoluminescence (ML) have attracted widespread interest. However, a multifunctional organic emitter exhibiting simultaneous AIE, TADF, RTP, and ML has not been reported. Now, two multifunctional blue emitters with very simple structures, mono-DMACDPS and Me-DMACDPS, exhibit typical AIE, TADF, and RTP properties but different behavior in mechanoluminescence. Crystal structure analysis reveals that large dipole moment and multiple intermolecular interactions with tight packing mode endow mono-DMACDPS with strong ML. Combined with the data of crystal analysis and theoretical calculation, the separated monomer and dimer in the crystal lead to the typical TADF and RTP properties, respectively. Simple-structure mono-DMACDPS is the first example realizing TADF, RTP, AIE, and ML simultaneously.

Harmonization of rapid triplet up-conversion and singlet radiation enables efficient and stable white OLEDs.

White organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) hold significant promise in illumination and displays, but achieving high efficiency while maintaining stability is an ongoing challenge. Here, we strategically combine a blue donor-acceptor thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitter featuring rapid reverse intersystem crossing rate and a yellow multi-resonance TADF emitter renowned for the fast radiative transition process to achieve warm WOLEDs with exceptional power efficiency exceeding 190 lm W-1 and external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 39%, setting records for WOLEDs. Meanwhile, these devices also exhibit an extended operational lifetime (LT80) of 446 h at an initial luminance of 1000 cd m-2. Another group of blue and yellow emitters based on our strategy achieves a standard white emission and a high EQE of 35.6%, confirming the universality of our strategy. This work presents a versatile strategy to harmonize singlet exciton radiation and triplet exciton up-conversion, thus achieving a win-win situation of efficiency and stability.

Approaching 20% Efficiency in Ortho-Xylene Processed Organic Solar Cells by a Benzo[a]phenazine-Core-Based 3D Network Acceptor with Large Electronic Coupling and Long Exciton Diffusion Length.

High-performance organic solar cells often rely on halogen-containing solvents, which restrict the photovoltaic industry. Therefore, it is imperative to develop efficient organic photovoltaic materials compatible with halogen-free solvents. Herein, a series of benzo[a]phenazine (BP)-core-based small-molecule acceptors (SMAs) achieved through an isomerization chlorination strategy is presented, comprising unchlorinated NA1, 10-chlorine substituted NA2, 8-chlorine substituted NA3, and 7-chlorine substituted NA4. Theoretical simulations highlight NA3's superior orbit overlap length and tight molecular packing, attributed to interactions between the end group and BP unit. Furthermore, NA3 demonstrates dense 3D network structures and a record electronic coupling of 104.5 meV. These characteristics empower the ortho-xylene (o-XY) processed PM6:NA3 device with superior power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18.94%, surpassing PM6:NA1 (15.34%), PM6:NA2 (7.18%), and PM6:NA4 (16.02%). Notably, the significantly lower PCE in the PM6:NA2 device is attributed to excessive self-aggregation characteristics of NA2 in o-XY. Importantly, the incorporation of D18-Cl into the PM6:NA3 binary blend enhances crystallographic ordering and increases the exciton diffusion length of the donor phase, resulting in a ternary device efficiency of 19.75% (certified as 19.39%). These findings underscore the significance of incorporating new electron-deficient units in the design of efficient SMAs tailored for environmentally benign solvent processing of OSCs.

Deep-Blue Narrowband Hetero[6]helicenes Showing Circularly Polarized Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Toward High-Performance OLEDs.

Helicenes exhibit substantial potential as circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) active molecules. However, their application in circularly polarized organic light-emitting diodes (CP-OLEDs) is typically hindered by the challenge of integrating both high color purity and efficient triplet-harvesting capability, particularly in the blue spectral region. Herein, a series of hetero[6]helicene-based emitters that is strategically engineered through the helical extension of a deep-blue double-boron-based multiple resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) motif, is introduced. Importantly, the helical extension does not cause apparent structural deformation or perturb frontier molecular orbitals; thus, preserving the deep-blue emission and MR-TADF characteristics of the parent molecule. This approach also leads to reduced reorganization energy, resulting in emitters with narrower linewidth and higher photoluminescence quantum yield. Further, the helical motif enhances the racemization barrier and leads to improved CPL performance with luminescence dissymmetry factor values up to 1.5 × 10-3 . Exploiting these merits, devices incorporating the chiral dopants demonstrate deep-blue emission within the Broadcast Service Television 2020 color-gamut range, record external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) up to 29.3%, and have distinctive circularly polarized electroluminescence (CPEL) signals. Overall, the authors' findings underscore the helical extension as a promising strategy for designing narrowband chiroptical materials and advancing high-definition displays.

Versatile Host Materials for Both D-A-Type and Multi-Resonance TADF Emitters toward Solution-Processed OLEDs with Nearly 30% EQE.

Fabricating solution-processible host material for thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitter remains a formidable challenge for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). In this work, two new host materials, namely 3CzAcPy and 9CzAcPy, are found to exhibit high triplet energy levels, high thermal stability, and excellent film morphology from a solution process. An in-depth analysis on the photophysical data and device performance reveals the isomeric effect of the host materials has a significant impact not only on the host properties, but also on the host-dopant interactions and thus the performance of the resulting solution-processed TADF OLEDs. Impressively, the new hosts are proven to be suitable for both donor-acceptor type and multi-resonance TADF emitters, achieving state-of-the-art device performance. By using the new host 9CzAcPy, solution-processed OLED based on a donor-acceptor TADF emitter of DPAC-PCN, a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 29.5% is achieved, and solution-processed narrowband OLED based on a multiple-resonance TADF emitter of BN-CP1 acquires a maximum EQE of 26.6%. These efficiencies represent the highest values among the solution-processed TADF OLEDs. This study highlights the significance of host-dopant interactions in modulating the electroluminescence performance of TADF emitters, and provides an effective design principle for solution-processible host materials.

Pivotal role of transition density in circularly polarized luminescence.

Realizing high luminescence dissymmetry factor (g) in circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) materials remains a big challenge, which necessitates understanding systematically how their molecular structure controls the CPL. Here we investigate representative organic chiral emitters with different transition density distributions and reveal the pivotal role of transition density in CPL. We rationalize that to obtain large g-factors, two conditions should be simultaneously satisfied: (i) the transition density for the S1 (or T1)-to-S0 emission must be delocalized over the entire chromophore; and (ii) the chromophore inter-segment twisting must be restricted and tuned to an optimal value (∼50°). Our findings offer molecular-level insights into the CPL of organic emitters, with potential applications in the design of chiroptical materials and systems with strong CPL effects.

Precise modulation of multiple resonance emitters toward efficient electroluminescence with pure-red gamut for high-definition displays.

Multiple resonance (MR) compounds have garnered substantial attention for their prospective utility in wide color gamut displays. Nevertheless, developing red MR emitters with both high efficiency and saturated emission color remains demanding. We herein introduce a comprehensive strategy for spectral tuning in the red region by simultaneously regulating the π-conjugation and electron-donating strengths of a double boron-embedded MR skeleton while preserving narrowband characteristics. The proof-of-concept materials manifested emissions from orange-red to deep red, with bandwidths below 0.12 eV. The pure-red device based on CzIDBNO displayed superior color purity with CIE coordinates of (0.701, 0.298), approaching the Broadcast Television 2020 standard. In concert with high photoluminescence quantum yield and strong horizontal dipole orientation, CzIDBNO also achieved a maximum external quantum efficiency of 32.5% and a current efficiency of 20.2 cd A-1, outstripping prior reported organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with CIEx exceeding 0.68. These findings offer a roadmap for designing high-performance emitters with exceptional color purity for future OLED material research advancements.

High-Performance Circularly Polarized Electroluminescence with Simultaneous Narrowband Emission, High Efficiency, and Large Dissymmetry Factor.

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) that can simultaneously achieve narrowband emission, high efficiency, and circularly polarized luminescence remain a formidable challenge. In this study, a simple strategy is developed to address this challenge. A chiral exciplex-forming co-host is first designed by employing a chiral donor and an achiral acceptor molecule. The chiral exciplex host enables an achiral green multiple-resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitter to achieve high-performance circularly polarized electroluminescence (CP-EL) with a high external quantum efficiency of 33.2%, large electroluminescence dissymmetry factor of 2.8 × 10-3 , and a small full-width at half-maximum of 42 nm. This work provides a general approach for realizing CP-EL using easily available achiral emitters and can significantly extend the scope of circularly polarized OLEDs.

High-Efficiency Red Electroluminescence Based on a Carbene-Cu(I)-Acridine Complex.

How to develop efficient red-emitting organometallics of earth-abundant copper(I) is a formidable challenge in the field of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) because Cu(I) complexes have weak spin-orbit coupling and a serious excited-state reorganization effect. Here, a red Cu(I) complex, MAC*-Cu-DPAC, was developed using a rigid 9,9-diphenyl-9,10-dihydroacridine donor ligand in a carbene-metal-amide motif. The Cu(I) complex achieved satisfactory red emission, a high photoluminescence quantum yield of up to 70%, and a sub-microsecond lifetime. Thanks to a linear geometry and the acceptor and donor ligands in a coplanar conformation, the complex exhibited a high horizontal dipole ratio of 77% in the host matrix, first demonstrated for coinage metal(I) complexes. The resulting OLEDs delivered high external quantum efficiencies of 21.1% at a maximum and 20.1% at 1000 nits, together with a red emission peak at ∼630 nm. These values represent the state-of-the-art performance for red-emitting OLEDs based on coinage metal complexes.

Integrating molecular rigidity and chirality into thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitters for highly efficient sky-blue and orange circularly polarized electroluminescence.

By integrating high molecular rigidity and stable chirality, two pairs of D*-A type circularly polarized thermally activated delayed fluorescence (CP-TADF) emitters with an almost absolute quasi-equatorial conformer geometry and excellent photoluminescence quantum efficiencies (PLQYs) are developed, achieving state-of-the-art electroluminescence performance among blue and orange circularly polarized organic light-emitting diodes (CP-OLEDs).

Significantly Reduced Thermal-Activation Energy for Hole Transport via Simple Donor Engineering: Understanding the Role of Molecular Parameters for Thermoelectric Behaviors.

Thermal activation energy for charge transfer (Eact,σ) plays a crucial role in determining the electrical properties of organic semiconductors, which are largely dominated by the Coulomb binding energy (Ecoul,ICTC) or static energy disorder (σICTC) of the formed integer charge transfer complexes at low or high doping concentration, respectively. Herein, we provide two typical donor-acceptor type polymers with distinct donors to disclose the role of molecular parameters in response for their corresponding thermoelectric (TE) behaviors. Noticeably, both the Ecoul,ICTC and σICTC of the polymers can be effectively restrained by varying the initial carbazole (CZ) donor to the dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]pyrrole (DTP) moiety, which contributes to the remarkably decreased Eact,σ values of the PDTP-DPP than that of PCZ-DPP. Accordingly, the optimized power factors (PF) for PDTP-DPP (10.8 µW m-1 K-2) is almost 5 times higher than the primary PCZ-DPP (1.8 µW m-1 K-2) at ambient condition. In addition, a further improved PF over 85.5 µW m-1 K-2 can be achieved by PDTP-DPP at 488 K due to the synergy of thermal-induced dedoping and thermal-activated semiconducting behavior. Ultraviolet photoelectron and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements confirm the lower thermal activation energy for efficient p-doping of PDTP-DPP than that of PCZ-DPP.

Acceptor plane expansion enhances horizontal orientation of thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitters.

Manipulating orientation of organic emitters remains a formidable challenge in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Here, expansion of the acceptor plane of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters was demonstrated to selectively modulate emitting dipole orientation. Two proof-of-the-concept molecules, PXZPyPM and PXZTAZPM, were prepared by introducing a planar 2-phenylpyridine or 2,4,6-triphenyl-1,3,5-triazine substituent into a prototypical molecule (PXZPM) bearing a pyrimidine core and two phenoxazine donors. This design approach suppressed the influence of substituents on electronic structures and associated optoelectronic properties. Accordingly, PXZPyPM and PXZTAZPM preserved almost the same excited states and similar emission characteristics as PXZPM. The expanded acceptor plane of PXZPyPM and PXZTAZPM resulted in a 15 to 18% increase in horizontal ratios of emitting dipole orientation. PXZPyPM supported its green device exhibiting an external quantum efficiency of 33.9% and a power efficiency of 118.9 lumen per watt, competitive with the most efficient green TADF OLEDs reported so far.