Third-generation organic electroluminescence materials

Currently, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have reached the stage of commercialization, and there are intense efforts to use them in various applications from small-and medium-sized mobile devices to illumination equipment and large TV screens. In particular, phosphorescent materials have become core OLED materials as alternatives to the conventionally used fluorescent materials because devices made with phosphorescent materials exhibit excellent light-emitting performance. However, phosphorescent materials have several problems, such as their structure being limited to organic metal compounds containing rare metals, for example, Ir, Pt, and Os, and difficulty in realizing stable blue light emission, so the development of new materials is necessary. In this article, I will review next-generation OLEDs using a new light-emitting mechanism called thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF). Highly efficient TADF, which was difficult to realize with conventional technologies, has been achieved by optimizing molecular structures. This has led to the realization of ultimate next-generation OLEDs that are made of common organic compounds and can convert electricity to light at an internal quantum efficiency of nearly 100%. (C) 2014 The Japan Society of Applied Physics