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

Chen, Chia-Hsun; Tierce, Nathan T; Leung, Man-Kit; Chiu, Tien-Lung; Lin, Chi-Feng; Bardeen, Christopher J; Lee, Jiun-Haw · Adv Mater · 2018

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

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<sub>3</sub> ), 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<sub>3</sub> 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<sub>3</sub> sensitizer with lower bandgap, 1-(2,5-dimethyl-4-(1-pyrenyl)phenyl)pyrene (DMPPP) is inserted between the Alq<sub>3</sub> and ADN as a triplet-diffusion-and-singlet-blocking layer. DMPPP exhibits triplet energy close to Alq<sub>3</sub> and higher than ADN, as well as higher singlet energy than both Alq<sub>3</sub> and ADN. It allows triplet diffusion from Alq<sub>3</sub> to ADN, but blocks the SQ of the blue TTAUC signal by Alq<sub>3</sub> . 86.1% intrinsic efficiency of TTAUC is demonstrated in this trilayer (Alq<sub>3</sub> /DMPPP/ADN) OLED.