Structurally Nontraditional Benzo[c]cinnoline-Based Electron-Transporting Materials with 3D Molecular Interaction Architecture

The academically widely used electron-transporting materials (ETMs) typically suffer from low glass transition temperatures (T-g) that could lead to poor device stability. Considering practical applications, we herein put forward a 3D molecular interaction architecture strategy to design high-performance ETMs. As a proof-of-concept, a type of structurally nontraditional ETMs with the benzo[c]cinnoline (BZC) skeleton have been proposed and synthesized by the C-H/C-H homo-coupling of N-acylaniline as the key step. 2,9-diphenylbenzo[c]cinnoline (DPBZC) exhibits strong intermolecular interactions that feature a 3D architecture, which boosts T-g to exceedingly high 218 degrees C with a fast electron mobility (mu(e)) of 6.4x10(-4) cm(2) V-1 s(-1). DPBZC-based fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes show outstanding electroluminescent performances with an external quantum efficiency of 20.1 % and a power efficiency as high as 70.6 lm W-1, which are superior to those of the devices with the commonly used ETMs.

Automated summary

In this study, a 3D molecular interaction architecture strategy was proposed to design high-performance electron-transporting materials (ETMs). By synthesizing structurally nontraditional ETMs with a benzo[c]cinnoline (BZC) skeleton, the materials exhibited strong intermolecular interactions and high glass transition temperatures, providing a new approach for the development of high-quality organic light-emitting diodes.