Efficient, narrow-band, and stable electroluminescence from organoboron-nitrogen-carbonyl emitter

Abstract Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) exploiting simple binary emissive layers (EMLs) blending only emitters and hosts have natural advantages in low-cost commercialization. However, previously reported OLEDs based on binary EMLs hardly simultaneously achieved desired comprehensive performances, e.g., high efficiency, low efficiency roll-off, narrow emission bands, and high operation stability. Here, we report a molecular-design strategy. Such a strategy leads to a fast reverse intersystem crossing rate in our designed emitter h -BNCO-1 of 1.79×10 5 s −1 . An OLED exploiting a binary EML with h -BNCO-1 achieves ultrapure emission, a maximum external quantum efficiency of over 40% and a mild roll-off of 14% at 1000 cd·m −2 . Moreover, h -BNCO-1 also exhibits promising operational stability in an alternative OLED exploiting a compact binary EML (the lifetime reaching 95% of the initial luminance at 1000 cd m −2 is ~ 137 h). Here, our work has thus provided a molecular-design strategy for OLEDs with promising comprehensive performance.