Efficient blue-green molecular organic light emitting diodes based on novel silole derivatives

Abstract

We report on highly efficient molecular organic light-emitting diodes (MOLEDs) using two novel silole derivatives as emissive and electron transport materials. A silole derivative, namely 2,5-di-(3-biphenyl)-1,1-dimethyl-3,4-diphenylsilacyclopentadiene (PPSPP), which shows blue fluorescence with a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 85% in the solid state, was used as the emissive material. Another silole derivative, namely 2,5-bis-(2‘2“-bipyridin-6-yl)-1,1- dimethyl-3,4-diphenylsilacyclopentadiene (PyPySPyPy), that exhibits a non-dispersive high electron mobility of 2x10^-4 cm²/Vsec was used as the electron transport material. MOLEDs using these two siloles and a common hole transport material show blue-green emission centered at 495 nm. This red-shifted electroluminescence (EL) band relative to the blue fluorescence of PPSPP is assigned to a PPSPP:NPB exciplex. A low operating voltage of 4.5 V was measured at a luminance of 100 cd/m² and an EL quantum efficiency of 3.4% was achieved at 100 A/m². To our knowledge, this is the highest EL quantum efficiency ever reported based on exciplex emission.