Optimising Energy Transfer in Hyperfluorescence

Project Information

HyperDyad

Grant agreement ID: 101108406

DOI

10.3030/101108406

Project closed

EC signature date 3 April 2023

Start date 1 November 2023

End date 31 October 2025

Funded under

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 188 345,36

Coordinated by

KARLSRUHER INSTITUT FUER TECHNOLOGIE
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - HyperDyad (Optimising Energy Transfer in Hyperfluorescence)

Reporting period: 2023-11-01 to 2025-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) represent a key technology for future energy-efficient lighting and displays. However, further improvements in efficiency, colour purity and stability are required, particularly for blue emission. This so-called ‘blue problem’ is a long-standing challenge in OLEDs, with current devices typically requiring a trade-off between efficiency and stability.
Hyperfluorescence has emerged as a promising strategy to overcome this challenge by combining two emitters within the emissive layer, each with a separate role. However, current hyperfluorescent OLEDs incorporate these as blended systems, where energy transfer is governed by random intermolecular distances and orientations, limiting reproducibility and performance optimisation.
To provide meaningful improvements in hyperfluorescent OLED performance, these interactions must be carefully controlled. The HyperDyad project aimed to demonstrate intramolecular hyperfluorescence by combining the two components within a single molecular architecture – a covalently linked donor–acceptor dyad (HyperDyad). This approach represents a step change in design, transforming hyperfluorescence from a formulation problem into a molecular design paradigm. By removing the random nature of blended systems, HyperDyads offer a pathway toward OLEDs that are predictably both efficient and stable, addressing a critical bottleneck in blue OLED technology with relevance at an industrial and societal scale.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project focused on the design, synthesis and photophysical study of covalently linked donor-acceptor dyads intended to enable intramolecular hyperfluorescence.
In the first phase, a model system comprising two identical emitters connected by a series of rigid bridges was explored. These systems were designed, synthesised and characterised to assess their suitability for implementation within the HyperDyad concept. Advanced spectroscopic techniques were used to probe the excited-state behaviour in both solution and the solid-state.
Building on these insights, the second phase focused on mixed donor-acceptor dyads designed to support intramolecular hyperfluorescence. These materials were successfully synthesised and characterised using comprehensive photophysical analysis.
The central hypothesis of the project was validated: HyperDyads were shown to support intramolecular hyperfluorescence, providing a pathway to precisely controlled hyperfluorescent systems. This approach removes the reliance on uncontrolled blending of multiple components and establishes a molecular design framework for predictable hyperfluorescent performance.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

This project delivered a fundamental advance in the design of hyperfluorescent OLED emitters by demonstrating, for the first time, that hyperfluorescence can be achieved within a single molecule. Prior to this work, hyperfluorescence relied exclusively on blended emissive systems, in which energy transfer occurs between two separate molecules. In such blended systems, energy transfer is inherently variable, as efficiency depends on randomly distributed intermolecular distances and orientations. By contrast, the HyperDyad concept establishes a new framework in which energy transfer is defined and controlled at the molecular level.
This project addresses a long-standing limitation in OLED technology, particularly for blue emitters, where improvements in efficiency are typically achieved at the expense of operational stability. By enabling precise control over energy-transfer pathways, the project introduces an entirely new route for OLED materials development, opening what can be described as a “fourth generation” of OLED emitters.
In the medium term, further research is needed to demonstrate optimised device architectures based on this new molecular design concept. In the longer term, continued development will be needed to translate these initial demonstrations into a broadly applicable materials platform capable of supporting future high-performance, energy-efficient OLED technologies.