The Third Strategy: Modulating Emission Colors of Organic Light-emitting Diodes with UV Light During the Device Fabrication Process

Overview

Journal Chem Sci

Publisher Royal Society of Chemistry

Specialty Chemistry

Date 2024 Jun 7

PMID 38846396

Authors

Yuanhui Sun

Shipan Xu

Huaiteng Hang

Jun Xi

Hua Dong

Bo Jiao

Guijiang Zhou

Xiaolong Yang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The modulation of emission color is one of the most critical topics in the research field of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Currently, only two ways are commonly used to tune the emission colors of OLEDs: one is to painstakingly synthesize different emitters with diverse molecular structures, the other is to precisely control the degree of aggregation or doping concentration of one emitter. To develop a simpler and less costly method, herein we demonstrate a new strategy in which the emission colors of OLEDs can be continuously changed with UV light during the device fabrication process. The proof of concept is established by a chromene-based Ir(iii) complex, which shows bright green emission and yellow emission before and after UV irradiation, respectively. Consequently, under different durations of UV irradiation, the resulting Ir(iii) complex is successfully used as the emitter to gradually tune the emission colors of related solution-processed OLEDs from green to yellow. Furthermore, the electroluminescent efficiencies of these devices are unaffected or even increased during this process. Therefore, this work demonstrates a distinctive point of view and approach for modulating the emission colors of OLEDs, which may prove great inspiration for the fabrication of multi-colored OLEDs with only one emitter.

References

Kim J, Hwang K, Kim S, Lim J, Kang B, Lee K . Enhancing Horizontal Ratio of Transition Dipole Moment in Homoleptic Ir Complexes for High Outcoupling Efficiency of Organic Light-Emitting Diodes. Adv Sci (Weinh). 2022; 9(31):e2203903. PMC: 9631091. DOI: 10.1002/advs.202203903. View

Ko C, Yam V . Coordination Compounds with Photochromic Ligands: Ready Tunability and Visible Light-Sensitized Photochromism. Acc Chem Res. 2017; 51(1):149-159. DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.7b00426. View

Chan J, Lam W, Wong H, Zhu N, Wong W, Yam V . Diarylethene-containing cyclometalated platinum(II) complexes: tunable photochromism via metal coordination and rational ligand design. J Am Chem Soc. 2011; 133(32):12690-705. DOI: 10.1021/ja203946g. View

Arai K, Kobayashi Y, Abe J . Rational molecular designs for drastic acceleration of the color-fading speed of photochromic naphthopyrans. Chem Commun (Camb). 2015; 51(15):3057-60. DOI: 10.1039/c4cc10294k. View

Joo W, Kyoung J, Esfandyarpour M, Lee S, Koo H, Song S . Metasurface-driven OLED displays beyond 10,000 pixels per inch. Science. 2020; 370(6515):459-463. DOI: 10.1126/science.abc8530. View

Galangau O, Norel L, Rigaut S . Metal complexes bearing photochromic ligands: photocontrol of functions and processes. Dalton Trans. 2021; 50(48):17879-17891. DOI: 10.1039/d1dt03397b. View

Chan J, Lam W, Wong H, Wong W, Yam V . Tunable photochromism in air-stable, robust dithienylethene-containing phospholes through modifications at the phosphorus center. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2013; 52(44):11504-8. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201304827. View

Lamansky S, Djurovich P, Murphy D, Lee H, Adachi C, Burrows P . Highly phosphorescent bis-cyclometalated iridium complexes: synthesis, photophysical characterization, and use in organic light emitting diodes. J Am Chem Soc. 2001; 123(18):4304-12. DOI: 10.1021/ja003693s. View

Yang X, Zhou G, Wong W . Functionalization of phosphorescent emitters and their host materials by main-group elements for phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices. Chem Soc Rev. 2015; 44(23):8484-575. DOI: 10.1039/c5cs00424a. View

10.

Zhao W, Carreira E . Facile one-pot synthesis of photochromic pyrans. Org Lett. 2003; 5(22):4153-4. DOI: 10.1021/ol035599x. View

11.

Yang X, Xu S, Zhang Y, Zhu C, Cui L, Zhou G . Narrowband Pure Near-Infrared (NIR) Ir(III) Complexes for Solution-Processed Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) with External Quantum Efficiency Over 16 . Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2023; 62(41):e202309739. DOI: 10.1002/anie.202309739. View

12.

Gnanasekaran P, Yuan Y, Lee C, Zhou X, Jen A, Chi Y . Realization of Highly Efficient Red Phosphorescence from Bis-Tridentate Iridium(III) Phosphors. Inorg Chem. 2019; 58(16):10944-10954. DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.9b01383. View

13.

Guerin J, Leaustic A, Delbaere S, Berthet J, Guillot R, Ruckebusch C . A multifunctional photoswitch: 6π electrocyclization versus ESIPT and metalation. Chemistry. 2014; 20(38):12279-88. DOI: 10.1002/chem.201402448. View

14.

Jing Y, Li N, Cao X, Wu H, Miao J, Chen Z . Precise modulation of multiple resonance emitters toward efficient electroluminescence with pure-red gamut for high-definition displays. Sci Adv. 2023; 9(30):eadh8296. PMC: 10381944. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh8296. View

15.

Yang X, Zhou X, Zhang Y, Li D, Li C, You C . Blue Phosphorescence and Hyperluminescence Generated from Imidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-2-ylidene-Based Iridium(III) Phosphors. Adv Sci (Weinh). 2022; 9(25):e2201150. PMC: 9443441. DOI: 10.1002/advs.202201150. View

16.

Liu W, Zhang C, Alessandri R, Diroll B, Li Y, Liang H . High-efficiency stretchable light-emitting polymers from thermally activated delayed fluorescence. Nat Mater. 2023; 22(6):737-745. DOI: 10.1038/s41563-023-01529-w. View

17.

Lv G, Cui B, Lan H, Wen Y, Sun A, Yi T . Diarylethene based fluorescent switchable probes for the detection of amyloid-β pathology in Alzheimer's disease. Chem Commun (Camb). 2014; 51(1):125-8. DOI: 10.1039/c4cc07656g. View

18.

Poon C, Lam W, Wong H, Yam V . A versatile photochromic dithienylethene-containing β-diketonate ligand: near-infrared photochromic behavior and photoswitchable luminescence properties upon incorporation of a boron(III) center. J Am Chem Soc. 2010; 132(40):13992-3. DOI: 10.1021/ja105537j. View

19.

Chen S, Guo Z, Zhu S, Shi W, Zhu W . A multiaddressable photochromic bisthienylethene with sequence-dependent responses: construction of an INHIBIT logic gate and a keypad lock. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2013; 5(12):5623-9. DOI: 10.1021/am4009506. View

20.

Fu Y, Liu H, Tang B, Zhao Z . Realizing efficient blue and deep-blue delayed fluorescence materials with record-beating electroluminescence efficiencies of 43.4. Nat Commun. 2023; 14(1):2019. PMC: 10086064. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37687-3. View