Rongjuan Yang

Multifunctional emitters for efficient simplified non-doped blueish green organic light emitting devices with extremely low efficiency roll-off

Highly efficient organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with simplified device structures are widely desired for both scientific research and industrial applications. However, a very limited number of simplified OLEDs have been reported to date. In this work, two multifunctional blueish green emitters, BPTPETPAI and 2TPETPAI, are designed and synthesized. Owing to the presence of a tetraphenylethene (TPE) moiety, their aggregation induced emission (AIE) properties are also investigated. High photoluminescence efficiencies of the two compounds in non-doped films render them good emitters for non-doped devices. Multilayer non-doped devices based on these emitters achieve maximum external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) and current efficiencies (CEs) of 3.13% and 6.14 cd A−1 as well as 3.25% and 6.70 cd A−1 for BPTPETPAI and 2TPETPAI, respectively. Given their shallow highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy levels, both emitters can also be used as hole injection and hole transporting materials. Based on this, single layer devices show even higher efficiencies with extremely low efficiency roll-off, achieving maximum CEs as high as 7.12 cd A−1 and 7.80 cd A−1 using BPTPETPAI and 2TPETPAI, respectively. These results demonstrate a bright prospect for the development of highly desired multifunctional emitters as well as simplified OLEDs with significant reduction in the fabrication cost of the device.

Non-Doped Sky-Blue OLEDs Based on Simple Structured AIE Emitters with High Efficiencies at Low Driven Voltages

Blue organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are necessary for flat-panel display technologies and lighting applications. To make more energy-saving, low-cost and long-lasting OLEDs, efficient materials as well as simple structured devices are in high demand. However, a very limited number of blue OLEDs achieving high stability and color purity have been reported. Herein, three new sky-blue emitters, 1,4,5-triphenyl-2-(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)phenyl)-1H-imidazole (TPEI), 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4,5-diphenyl-2-(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)phenyl)-1H-imidazole (TPEMeOPhI) and 1-phenyl-2,4,5-tris(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)phenyl)-1H-imidazole (3TPEI), with a combination of imidazole and tetraphenylethene groups, have been developed. High photoluminescence quantum yields are obtained for these materials. All derivatives have demonstrated aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behavior, excellent thermal stability with high decomposition and glass transition temperatures. Non-doped sky-blue OLEDs with simple structure have been fabricated employing these materials as emitters and realized high efficiencies of 2.41 % (4.92 cd A-1 , 2.70 lm W-1 ), 2.16 (4.33 cd A-1 , 2.59 lm W-1 ) and 3.13 % (6.97 cd A-1 , 4.74 lm W-1 ) for TPEI, TPEMeOPhI and 3TPEI, with small efficiency roll-off. These are among excellent results for molecules constructed from the combination of imidazole and TPE reported so far. The high performance of a 3TPEI-based device shows the promising potential of the combination of imidazole and AIEgen for synthesizing efficient electroluminescent materials for OLED devices.

Benzophenone-based small molecular cathode interlayers with various polar groups for efficient polymer solar cells

A series of novel benzophenone-based small molecular cathode interfacial materials with different polar groups including hydroxyl groups, neutral amino groups, amino N-oxide, and sulfobetaine ions were synthesized for PTB7:PC71BM-based polymer solar cells between the active layer and Al electrode. The photovoltaic properties of the devices with these interfacial materials were studied. The differences in interface modification performance of hydroxyl and amino interfacial materials were investigated for the first time. The devices with a solution-processed amino N-oxide-based interlayer showed a PCE of 9.34% with the highest short-circuit current density and fill factor by reducing the series resistance and charge recombination compared to the devices with the other interlayers in this work. The study of structure–property relationships proposes the significant guidance for the design of efficient cathode interface materials in organic solar cells.

High-Performance Polymer Solar Cells Employing Rhodamines as Cathode Interfacial Layers

The development of simple and water-/alcohol-soluble interfacial materials is crucial for the cost-effective fabrication process of polymer solar cells (PSCs). Herein, highly efficient PSCs are reported employing water-/alcohol-soluble and low-cost rhodamines as cathode interfacial layers (CILs). The results reveal that rhodamine-based CILs can reduce the work function of the Al cathode and simultaneously increase the open-circuit voltage, current density, fill factor, and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PSCs. The solution-processed rhodamine-based PSCs demonstrated a remarkable PCE of 10.39%, which is one of the best efficiencies reported for thieno[3,4-b]thiophene/benzodithiophene:[6,6]-phenyl C71-butyric acid methyl ester-based PSCs so far. The efficiency is also 42.3% higher than that of the vacuum-deposited Ca-based device (PCE of 7.30%) and 21.5% higher than that of the complicated solution-processable polymeric electrolyte poly[(9,9-bis(3-(N,N-dimethylamino)propyl)-2,7-fluorene)-alt-2,7-(9,9-dioctylfluorene)]-based device (PCE of 8.55%). Notably, rhodamines are very economical and have been extensively used as dyes in industries. Our work indicates that rhodamines have shown a strong potential as CILs compared to their counterparts in the large-area fabrication process of PSCs.

Highly efficient polymer solar cells employing natural chlorophyllin as a cathode interfacial layer

Development of green and low-cost interfacial materials is an important issue to promote the commercialization of polymer solar cells (PSC). In this study, a derivative of natural chlorophyll, called chlorophyllin (CuCN), is applied as a cathode interfacial layer (CIL) to effectively improve the charge-carrier transportation and collection of both fullerene and non-fullerene based PSCs. As a result, the high power conversion efficiency of 8.35% and 10.55% is achieved for fullerene PTB7:PC71BM-based devices and non-fullerene PBDB-T:IT-M-based devices, respectively. Notably, the natural chlorophyllin is a green food additive with low cost and solution-processability. This study demonstrates that the environment-friendly chlorophyllin is a promising CIL material to fabricate highly efficient solution-processed PSCs with a large area and low cost.

Furan-containing conjugated polymers for organic solar cells

Development of organic semiconductors is one of the most intriguing and productive topics in material science and engineering. Many efforts have been made on the synthesis of aromatic building blocks such as benzene, thiophene and pyrrole due to the facile preparation accompanied by the intrinsic environmental stability and relatively efficient properties of the resulting polymers. In the past, furan has been less explored in this field because of its high oxidation potential. Recently, furan has attracted obsession due to its weaker aromaticity, the greater solubilities of furan-containing π-conjugated polymers relative to other benzenoid systems and the accessibility of furan-based starting materials from renewable resources. This review elaborates the advancements of organic photovoltaic polymers containing furan building blocks. The uniqueness and advantages of furan-containing building blocks in semiconducting materials are also discussed.

A Methodological Study on Tuning the Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescent Performance by Molecular Constitution in Acridine-Benzophenone Derivatives

Thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) emitters are usually designed as donor-acceptor structures with large dihedral angles, which tend to incur low fluorescent efficiency, and therefore, through molecular design various strategies have been proposed to increase the efficiency of emitters; however, few studies have compared these strategies in one TADF system. In this study, a novel TADF molecule, [4-(9,9-diphenylacridin-10-yl)phenyl](phenyl)methanone (BP-DPAC), was designed as a prototype, and two derivatives, BP-Ph-DPAC and DPAC-BP-DPAC, were also prepared to represent two common approaches to enhance TADF performance. Compared with the maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 6.82 % for BP-DPAC, organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) devices based on DPAC-BP-DPAC exhibited enhanced TADF properties with the highest maximum EQE of 18.67 %, owing to an additional diphenylacridine donor, whereas BP-Ph-DPAC showed non-TADF properties and exhibited the lowest EQE of 4.25 %, owing to the insertion of a phenyl ring between donor and acceptor.