Intramolecular charge transfer-based spirobifluorene-coupled heteroaromatic moieties as efficient hole transport layer and host in phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes

Abstract

In this study, we report two efficient intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) compounds with versatile functionality as hole transporting layers (HTL) and hosts in emission layer (EML) of phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes (Ph-OLEDs) with donor-acceptor-donor structures. In both molecules, 9,9'-spirobifluorene (SBF) was employed as a common electron acceptor, while phenoxazine (PXZ) or phenothiazine (PTZ) were used as donors. The molecules 2,7-di(10H-phenoxazin-10-yl)-9,9'-spirobi[fluorene] (SBF-PXZ) and 2,7-di(10H-phenothiazin-10-yl)-9,9'-spirobi[fluorene] (SBF-PTZ) were synthesized via a Buckwald-Hartwig cross-coupling reaction in a single step that exhibited typical ICT phenomena. The extremely twisted geometrical configurations of SBF-PXZ and SBF-PTZ may allow for effective intramolecular charge-transfer. Both molecules exhibited strong absorption and emission characteristics in the visible region in solution as well as in the thin film form; significant positive solvatochromism was also observed for both compounds. The replacement of PTZ donor with the PXZ donor caused a bandgap reduction together with an improved ionization potential (IP). The deeper IP (>5.1 eV), greater glass transition temperature, and higher hole mobility extracted from the hole only devices of both molecules revealed them as superior candidates for HTL applications (with/without exciton blocking layers) in Ph-OLEDs. It is further corroborated by the enhanced half-life time of Ph-OLEDs with SBF-PXZ/SBF-PTZ HTLs. Moreover, the OLED performances with SBF-PTZ and SBF-PXZ as EMLs and hosts for phosphorescent dopant OLEDs have exemplified the versatility of the proposed ICT compounds.