Yoshiyuki Suzuri

Confinement of triplet energy on phosphorescent molecules for highly-efficient organic blue-light-emitting devices

We have significantly improved the emission efficiency in an organic light-emitting device (OLED) based on iridium (III)bis[(4,6-di-fluoropheny)-pyridinato-N,C2′]picolinate (FIrpic). To improve the efficiency, 4,4′-bis(9-carbazolyl)-2,2′-dimethyl-biphenyl, which has a high triplet energy, was used as the carrier-transporting host for the emissive layer. The FIrpic-based OLED exhibited a maximum external quantum efficiency of 10.4%, corresponding to a current efficiency of 20.4 cd/A, and a maximum power efficiency of 10.5 lm/W. The efficiency was drastically improved compared to that of a previously reported FIrpic-based OLED. This result indicates that triplet energy is efficiently confined on FIrpic molecules, resulting in the high efficiency.

Solution-processed multilayer small-molecule light-emitting devices with high-efficiency white-light emission

Recent developments in the field of π-conjugated polymers have led to considerable improvements in the performance of solution-processed organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). However, further improving efficiency is still required to compete with other traditional light sources. Here we demonstrate efficient solution-processed multilayer OLEDs using small molecules. On the basis of estimates from a solvent resistance test of small host molecules, we demonstrate that covalent dimerization or trimerization instead of polymerization can afford conventional small host molecules sufficient resistance to alcohols used for processing upper layers. This allows us to construct multilayer OLEDs through subsequent solution-processing steps, achieving record-high power efficiencies of 36, 52 and 34 lm W(-1) at 100 cd m(-2) for solution-processed blue, green and white OLEDs, respectively, with stable electroluminescence spectra under varying current density. We also show that the composition at the resulting interface of solution-processed layers is a critical factor in determining device performance.

A Solution-Processed Organic Thin-Film Transistor Backplane for Flexible Multiphoton Emission Organic Light-Emitting Diode Displays

An active matrix backplane based on solution-processed organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) has been developed for flexible displays having multiphoton organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The OTFT device has a bottom-gate/bottom-contact type structure consisting of a polyethylene naphthalate-based flexible substrate covered with patterned gate electrodes and a gate dielectric of UV-cured cardo-polymer. Teflon AF was used for a hydrophobic bank structure that defines active regions of the OTFTs, and the organic semiconductor was coated by solution shearing. The OTFT backplane fabricated here had 384 × 128 pixels at a resolution of 300 dpi; images and video were successfully displayed on the resulting flexible multiphoton-emission OLED display.

Luminescent alternating boron quinolate–fluorene copolymers exhibiting high electron mobility

π-Conjugated copolymers composed of 9,9-didodecylfluorene and boron quinolate were synthesized by an efficient chelating reaction of quinolinol-based polyfluorene derivative, as a polymeric ligand, with arylborane compounds such as triphenylborane (BPh3) or fluorobis(pentafluorophenyl)borane diethyl etherate ((C6F5)BF·OEt2). The polymeric ligand was prepared from the deprotection reaction of boron tribromide and benzyloxyquinoline-based polyfluorene, which was produced via the efficient Suzuki cross-coupling reaction of 5,7-dibromo-8-benzylquinoline and 9,9-didodecylfluorene-2,7-diboronic acid in the presence of 2-(2′,6′-dimethoxybiphenyl)dicyclohexylphosphine (S-Phos) and palladium(II) acetate. Their optical properties were studied by UV-vis absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopies. The absorption and PL spectra of the obtained polymers were red-shifted in comparison with those of the polymeric ligand due to the decrease of the LUMO level by the formation of boron complexes, explained by theoretical calculations of the model compounds using the density-functional theory (DFT) method. The molar extinction coefficients and emission maxima of boron-chelating polymers were analogous values to those of (κ2-(N,O)-5,7-bis(9,9-dihexylfluoren-2-yl)-8-quinolinolate)diphenylborane (BFluorene2q). Furthermore, the electron mobilities of the polymers were determined from the space-charge limited current (SCLC) with electron-only device structure of ITO/Ca/polymer/LiF/Al. As a result, the mobilities for the polymers (3.9 or 2.0 × 10−5 cm2 V−1 s−1) were reasonably close to the value (7.9 × 10−5 cm2 V−1 s−1) calculated from the Alq3-fabricated device.

Phosphorescent cyclometalated complexes for efficient blue organic light-emitting diodes

Abstract Phosphorescent emitters are extremely important for efficient organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), which attract significant attention. Phosphorescent emitters, which have a high phosphorescence quantum yield at room temperature, typically contain a heavy metal such as iridium and have been reported to emit blue, green and red light. In particular, the blue cyclometalated complexes with high efficiency and high stability are being developed. In this review, we focus on blue cyclometalated complexes. Recent progress of computational analysis necessary to design a cyclometalated complex is introduced. The prediction of the radiative transition is indispensable to get an emissive cyclometalated complex. We summarize four methods to control phosphorescence peak of the cyclometalated complex: (i) substituent effect on ligands, (ii) effects of ancillary ligands on heteroleptic complexes, (iii) design of the ligand skeleton, and (iv) selection of the central metal. It is considered that novel ligand skeletons would be important to achieve both a high efficiency and long lifetime in the blue OLEDs. Moreover, the combination of an emitter and a host is important as well as the emitter itself. According to the dependences on the combination of an emitter and a host, the control of exciton density of the triplet is necessary to achieve both a high efficiency and a long lifetime, because the annihilations of the triplet state cause exciton quenching and material deterioration.