Efficient Triplet-Triplet Annihilation Upconversion in an Electroluminescence Device with a Fluorescent Sensitizer and a Triplet-Diffusion Singlet-Blocking Layer

Solid-state triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTAUC) blue emission in an electroluminescence device (i.e., an organic light-emitting diode (OLED)) is demonstrated. A conventional green fluorophore, tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum (Alq(3)), is employed as the sensitizer that generates 75% triplet under electrical pumping for the blue triplet-triplet annihilation emitter, 9,10-bis(2-naphthyl) anthracene (ADN), with the heterojunction bilayer structure. The operation lifetime is elongated both for ADN blue (4.1x) and Alq(3) green (34.8%) emission due to efficient use of excitons and separation of recombination and emission zone. To reduce the singlet quenching (SQ) of blue TTAUC signal by the Alq(3) sensitizer with lower bandgap, 1-(2,5-dimethyl-4-(1-pyrenyl)phenyl)pyrene (DMPPP) is inserted between the Alq(3) and ADN as a triplet-diffusion-and-singlet-blocking layer. DMPPP exhibits triplet energy close to Alq(3) and higher than ADN, as well as higher singlet energy than both Alq(3) and ADN. It allows triplet diffusion from Alq(3) to ADN, but blocks the SQ of the blue TTAUC signal by Alq(3). 86.1% intrinsic efficiency of TTAUC is demonstrated in this trilayer (Alq(3)/DMPPP/ADN) OLED.