Realizing efficient blue and deep-blue delayed fluorescence materials with record-beating electroluminescence efficiencies of 43.4%

As promising luminescent materials for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), thermally activated delayed fluorescence materials are booming vigorously in recent years, but robust blue ones still remain challenging. Herein, we report three highly efficient blue and deep-blue delayed fluorescence materials comprised of a weak electron acceptor chromeno[3,2-c]carbazol-8(5H)-one with a rigid polycyclic structure and a weak electron donor spiro[acridine-9,9’-xanthene]. They hold distinguished merits of excellent photoluminescence quantum yields (99%), ultrahigh horizontal transition dipole ratios (93.6%), and fast radiative transition and reverse intersystem crossing, which furnish superb blue and deep-blue electroluminescence with Commission Internationale de I’Eclairage coordinates (CIE(x,y)) of (0.14, 0.18) and (0.14, 0.15) and record-beating external quantum efficiencies (η(ext)s) of 43.4% and 41.3%, respectively. Their efficiency roll-offs are successfully reduced by suppressing triplet-triplet and singlet-singlet annihilations. Moreover, high-performance deep-blue and green hyperfluorescence OLEDs are achieved by utilizing these materials as sensitizers for multi-resonance delayed fluorescence dopants, providing state-of-the-art η(ext)s of 32.5% (CIE(x,y) = 0.14, 0.10) and 37.6% (CIE(x,y) = 0.32, 0.64), respectively, as well as greatly advanced operational lifetimes. These splendid results can surely inspire the development of blue and deep-blue luminescent materials and devices.