Enhanced Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence by Sole Coordination: From an Organic Molecule to Its Zinc Complex.

A BPAPTPyC organic molecule containing a sandwich structural chromophore is designed and synthesized to produce blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF). The chromophore is composed of two di(4--butylphenyl)amino donors and one inserted terpyridyl acceptor hitched at positions 1, 8, and 9 of a single carbazole via the -phenylene group, in which the multiple space π-π interactions between the donor and acceptor enable the molecule to possess the TADF feature with a high energy emission at 470 nm but a low photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and a small proportion of the delayed component. In contrast, the corresponding Zn(BPAPTPyC)Cl complex has a high PLQY and a short lifetime with a red-shifted emission due to the enhanced rigidity and electron accepting ability of the terpyridyl group from coordination. A solution-processed organic light-emitting diode (OLED) based on the complex achieves a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 17.9% with an emission peak at 585 nm, while an OLED of the organic molecule produces blue emission with a maximum EQE of 2.7%.