Simultaneously Enhanced Reverse Intersystem Crossing and Radiative Decay in Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorophors with Multiple Through-space Charge Transfers

Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials with through-space charge transfers (CT) have attracted particularly interest recently. However, the slow reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) and radiative decay always limit their electroluminescence performances. Herein, TADF molecules with ortho-linked multiple donors-acceptor (ortho-D-n-A) motif are developed to create near-degenerate excited states for the reinforcement of spin-orbit coupling. The incorporation of both through-bond and through-space CT enlarges oscillator strength. The optimal ortho-D-3-A compound exhibits a photoluminescence quantum yield of ca. 100 %, a high RISC rate of 2.57x10(6) s(-1) and a high radiative decay rate of 1.00x10(7) s(-1) simultaneously. With this compound as the sensitizer, a TADF-sensitized-fluorescent organic light-emitting diode shows a maximum external quantum efficiency of 31.6 % with an ultrapure green Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage y coordinate value of 0.69.

Automated summary

Materials with thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) and through-space charge transfer (CT) properties have received significant attention recently. By developing TADF molecules with ortho-linked multiple donors-acceptor motif, near-degenerate excited states are created to enhance spin-orbit coupling, leading to improved luminescence performance.