Pyrimidine-based twisted donor–acceptor delayed fluorescence molecules: a new universal platform for highly efficient blue electroluminescence

Abstract

Deep-blue emitters that can harvest both singlet and triplet excited states to give high electron-to-photon conversion efficiencies are highly desired for applications in full-color displays and white lighting devices based on organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) molecules based on highly twisted donor–acceptor (D–A) configurations are promising emitting dopants for the construction of efficient deep-blue OLEDs. In this study, a simple and versatile D–A system combining acridan-based donors and pyrimidine-based acceptors has been developed as a new platform for high-efficiency deep-blue TADF emitters. The designed pre-twisted acridan–pyrimidine D–A molecules exhibit small singlet–triplet energy splitting and high photoluminescence quantum yields, functioning as efficient deep-blue TADF emitters. The OLEDs utilizing these TADF emitters display bright blue electroluminescence with external quantum efficiencies of up to 20.4%, maximum current efficiencies of 41.7 cd A⁻¹, maximum power efficiencies of 37.2 lm W⁻¹, and color coordinates of (0.16, 0.23). The design strategy featuring such acridan–pyrimidine D–A motifs can offer great prospects for further developing high-performance deep-blue TADF emitters and TADF-OLEDs.