Induction of Strong Long-Lived Room-Temperature Phosphorescence of N-Phenyl-2-naphthylamine Molecules by Confinement in a Crystalline Dibromobiphenyl Matrix

The design and preparation of metal-free organic materials that exhibit room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) is a very attractive topic owing to potential applications in organic optoelectronic devices. Herein, we present a facile approach to efficient and long-lived organic RTP involving the doping of N-phenylnaphthalen-2-amine (PNA) or its derivatives into a crystalline 4,4'-dibromobiphenyl (DBBP) matrix. The resulting materials showed strong and persistent RTP emission with a quantum efficiency of approximately 20 % and a lifetime of a few to more than 100 milliseconds. Bright white dual emission containing blue fluorescence and yellowish-green RTP from the PNA-doped DBBP crystals was also confirmed by Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (x=0.29-0.31, y=0.38-0.41).