Recent advances in small-molecule organic fluorescent semiconductors

Abstract

Organic fluorescent semiconductors are highly desired for the advancement of integrated optoelectronic devices, such as organic light-emitting transistors (OLETs), electrically pumped organic lasers (EPOLs), and so on. Thanks to the joint efforts of chemists and materials scientists, rapid developments of small-molecule organic fluorescent semiconductors have been witnessed in recent years. The optoelectronic properties have been greatly improved and several small-molecule organic fluorescent semiconductors with excellent comprehensive performances (mobility > 1.0 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and photoluminescence quantum yield efficiency (PLQY) > 20%) have emerged. The material database has also been greatly enriched in recent years including anthracene derivatives, fluorene derivatives, thiophene/phenylene co-oligomers (TPCOs), distyrylbenzene derivatives, etc. Therefore, it is timely and of great significance to summarize the recent advances in small-molecule organic fluorescent semiconductors to offer some hints for researchers in this field. In this review, we first highlight the aggregation structures, different types, recent research progress and design strategies of small-molecule organic fluorescent semiconductors. Then, we will briefly introduce the recent achievements in optoelectronic applications of small-molecule organic fluorescent semiconductors. Finally, we will give a conclusion and outlook about the challenges and opportunities for the future development of small-molecule organic fluorescent semiconductors.