Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Solution-processable cyclometalated gold(III) complexes for high-brightness phosphorescent white organic light-emitting devices

  • Advanced Nano Materials
  • Published:
Journal of Materials Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We report two yellow-emitting cyclometalated gold(III) complexes serving as phosphorescent dopants for high-brightness solution-processed white organic light-emitting devices (WOLEDs). Dichromatic WOLEDs consisting of our newly synthesized Au–Y or Au–wY for yellow emission in combination with FIrpic for blue emission have been studied. Notably, white emissions in terms of Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage coordinates of (0.31, 0.39) and (0.40, 0.47) and color rendering indices of 66 and 69 have been accomplished with Au–Y- and Au–wY-based WOLEDs. In addition, current efficiencies of 26.0 and 25.7 cd/A corresponding to external quantum efficiencies of 11.0% and 10.5% are achieved and can be maintained at 19.8 and 25.3 cd/A at a high brightness level of 10,000 cd/m2 for these devices. Such high-performance WOLEDs in terms of small efficiency roll-offs over a wide brightness range are believed to be due to the use of gold(III) complexes with very short-lived emission lifetimes of ~ 1 μs, high photoluminescence quantum yields of up to 86% and broad yellow emission bandwidths of up to 107 nm. This study opens up the possibility of using solution-processable cyclometalated organogold(III) complexes with short-lived emissive excited states for the fabrication of WOLEDs, especially for high-brightness applications.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Chatterjee T, Wong KT (2019) Perspective on host materials for thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light emitting diodes. Adv Opt Mater 7:1800565-1–1800565-34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Watanabe Y, Sasabe H, Kido J (2019) Review of molecular engineering for horizontal molecular orientation in organic light-emitting devices. Bull Chem Soc Jpn 92:716–728

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Yin Y, Ali MU, Xie WF et al (2019) Evolution of white organic light-emitting devices: from academic research to lighting and display applications. Mater Chem Front 3:970–1031

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Fu Q, Chen J, Shi C et al (2012) Solution-processed small molecules as mixed host for highly efficient blue and white phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 4:6579–6586

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Wu JY, Chen SA (2018) Development of a highly efficient hybrid white organic-light-emitting diode with a single emission layer by solution processing. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 10:4851–4859

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Deng YL, Cui LS, Liu Y et al (2016) Solution-processable iridium phosphors for efficient red and white organic light-emitting diodes with low roll-off. J Mater Chem C 4:1250–1256

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Liao X, Yang X, Zhang R et al (2017) Solution-processed small-molecular white organic light-emitting diodes based on a thermally activated delayed fluorescence dendrimer. J Mater Chem C 5:10001–10006

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Wang J, Xu X, Tian Y et al (2015) A novel blue fluorescent polymer for solution-processed fluorescent-phosphorescent hybrid WOLEDs. J Mater Chem C 3:2856–2864

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Cheng G, So GKM, To WP et al (2015) Luminescent zinc(II) and copper(I) complexes for high performance solution-processed monochromatic and white light-emitting devices. Chem Sci 6:4623–4635

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Liu D, Yang R, Wang R (2013) Highly efficient orange and white electrophosphorescence from solution-processible iridium(III) complexes. Dyes Pigments 98:317–322

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Wang J, Xu X, Tian Y et al (2014) Obtaining highly efficient single-emissive-layer orange and two-element white organic light-emitting diodes by the solution process. J Mater Chem C 2:5036–5045

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Yang X, Zhao Y, Zhang X et al (2012) Thiazole-based metallophosphors of iridium with balanced carrier injection/transporting features and their two-color WOLEDs fabricated by both vacuum deposition and solution processing-vacuum deposition hybrid strategy. J Mater Chem 22:7136–7148

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Ho CL, Wong WY, Zhou GJ et al (2007) Solution-processible multi-component cyclometalated iridium phosphors for high-efficiency orange-emitting OLEDs and their potential use as white light sources. Adv Funct Mater 17:2925–2936

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Wu SF, Li SH, Wang YK et al (2017) White organic LED with a luminous efficacy exceeding 100 lm W−1 without light out-coupling enhancement techniques. Adv Funct Mater 27:1701314-1–1701314-9

    Google Scholar 

  15. Li Y, Li XL, Cai X et al (2015) Deep blue fluorophores incorporating sulfone-locked triphenylamine: the key for highly efficient fluorescence-phosphorescence hybrid white OLEDs with simplified structure. J Mater Chem C 3:6986–6996

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Seo JA, Gong MS, Lee JY et al (2014) High external quantum efficiency in yellow and white phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes using an indoloacridinefluorene type host material. Org Electron 15:1843–1848

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Lai SL, Tao SL, Chan MY et al (2011) Iridium(III) bis[2-(2-naphthyl)pyridine](acetylacetonate)-based yellow and white phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices. J Mater Chem 21:4983–4988

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Lai SL, Tong WY, Kui SCF et al (2013) High efficiency white organic light-emitting devices incorporating yellow phosphorescent platinum(II) complex and composite blue host. Adv Funct Mater 23:5168–5176

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Tao P, Li WL, Zhang J et al (2016) Facile synthesis of highly efficient lepidine-based phosphorescent iridium(III) complexes for yellow and white organic light-emitting diodes. Adv Funct Mater 26:881–894

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Wen LL, Zang CX, Gao Y et al (2018) Molecular engineering of phenylbenzimidazole-based orange Ir(III) phosphors toward high-performance white OLEDs. Inorg Chem 57:6029–6037

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Cao H, Shan G, Wen X et al (2013) An orange iridium(III) complex with wide-bandwidth in electroluminescence for fabrication of high-quality white organic light-emitting diodes. J Mater Chem C 1:7371–7379

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Lai SL, Chan MY, Fung MK et al (2007) Efficiency enhancement and voltage reduction in white organic light-emitting devices. Appl Phys Lett 90:203510

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Tong QX, Lai SL, Chan MY et al (2007) High-efficiency nondoped white organic light-emitting devices. Appl Phys Lett 91:023503

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. LaMonica M (2008) GE demonstrates printed OLEDs for flexible lighting. https://www.cnet.com/news/ge-demonstrates-printed-oleds-for-flexible-lighting/. Accessed 11 Jan 2020

  25. Mertens R (2018) Lyteus partners demonstrate the world’s longest flexible OLED lighting device at 15 meters. https://www.oled-info.com/lyteus-partners-demonstrate-worlds-longest-flexible-oled-lighting-devicve-15-meters. Accessed 11 Jan 2020

  26. Tang MC, Lee CH, Ng M et al (2018) Highly emissive fused heterocyclic alkynylgold(III) complexes for multiple color emission spanning from green to red for solution-processable organic light-emitting devices. Angew Chem Int Ed 57:5463–5466

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Lai SL, Tao SL, Chan MY et al (2010) Efficient white organic light-emitting devices based on phosphorescent iridium complexes. Org Electron 11:1511–1515

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Murawski C, Leo K, Gather MC (2013) Efficiency roll-off in organic light-emitting diodes. Adv Mater 25:6801–6827

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Tang MC, Lee CH, Lai SL et al (2017) Versatile design strategy for highly luminescent vacuum-evaporable and solution-processable tridentate gold(III) complexes with monoaryl auxiliary ligands and their applications for phosphorescent organic light emitting devices. J Am Chem Soc 139:9341–9349

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Wei F, Lai SL, Zhao S et al (2019) Ligand mediated luminescence enhancement in cyclometalated rhodium(III) complexes and their applications in efficient organic light-emitting devices. J Am Chem Soc 141:12863–12871

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Tang MC, Leung MY, Lai SL et al (2018) Realization of thermally stimulated delayed phosphorescence in arylgold(III) complexes and efficient gold(III) based blue-emitting organic light-emitting devices. J Am Chem Soc 140:13115–13124

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Li LK, Tang MC, Lai SL et al (2019) Strategies towards rational design of gold(III) complexes for high-performance organic light-emitting devices. Nat Photonics 13:185–191

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Leung MY, Tang MC, Cheung WL et al (2020) Thermally stimulated delayed phosphorescence (TSDP)-based gold(III) complexes of tridentate pyrazine-containing pincer ligand with wide emission color tunability and their application in organic light-emitting devices. J Am Chem Soc. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.9b12136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Su SJ, Cai C, Kido J (2011) RGB phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes by using host materials with heterocyclic cores: effect of nitrogen atom orientations. Chem Mater 23:274–284

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The work described in this paper was fully supported by a grant from the Innovation and Technology Support Programme Platform Project of the Innovation and Technology Commission, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People’s Republic of China (Project No. ITS/299/19FP). V. W.-W. Yam acknowledges support from The University of Hong Kong and the URC Strategically Oriented Research Theme on Functional Materials for Molecular Electronics. W.-L. Cheung acknowledges the receipt of a Postgraduate Studentship from HKU.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China

    Wai-Lung Cheung, Shiu-Lun Lai, Wing-Kei Kwok, Man-Chung Tang, Chin-Ho Lee, Mei-Yee Chan & Vivian Wing-Wah Yam

Authors
  1. Wai-Lung Cheung
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shiu-Lun Lai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Wing-Kei Kwok
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Man-Chung Tang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Chin-Ho Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Mei-Yee Chan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Vivian Wing-Wah Yam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Mei-Yee Chan or Vivian Wing-Wah Yam.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Cheung, WL., Lai, SL., Kwok, WK. et al. Solution-processable cyclometalated gold(III) complexes for high-brightness phosphorescent white organic light-emitting devices. J Mater Sci 55, 9686–9694 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-020-04392-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-020-04392-1

Search

Navigation