Achieving Pure Deep-Blue Electroluminescence with CIE y≤0.06 via a Rational Design Approach for Highly Efficient Non-Doped Solution-Processed Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

Deep-blue fluorescent emitters with Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) y≤0.06 are urgently needed for high-density storage, full-color displays and solid-state lighting. However, developing such emitters with high color purity and efficiency in solution-processable non-doped organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) remains an important challenge. Here, we present the synthesis of two new deep-blue fluorescent emitters (AFpTPI and AFmTPI) based on 10-(9,9-diethyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl)-9,9-dimethyl-9,10-dihydroacridine as a core and 1,3- and/or 1,4-phenylene-linked triphenylimidazole (TPI) analogues for non-doped solution-processable OLEDs. Their thermal, photophysical, electrochemical, and device characteristics are explored, and also strongly supported by density functional theory (DFT) study. AFpTPI and AFmTPI exhibit excellent thermal stability (≈450 °C) with high glass transition temperatures (T_g; 141–152 °C) and deep-blue emission with high quantum yields. Specifically, the solution-processed non-doped device with AFpTPI as an emitter exhibits a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 4.56 % with CIE coordinates of (0.15, 0.06), which exactly matches the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) blue standard. In addition, AFmTPI also displays good efficiency and better color purity (EQE: 3.37 %; CIE (0.15, 0.05)). To the best of our knowledge, the present work is the first report on non-doped solution-processable OLEDs with efficiency close to 5 % and CIE y≤0.06.