Binuclear Iridium(III) Complexes for White-Emitting OLEDs

Informazioni relative al progetto

Lefko-Phos

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 842633

DOI

10.3030/842633

Progetto chiuso

Data della firma CE 12 Aprile 2019

Data di avvio 15 Febbraio 2020

Data di completamento 14 Febbraio 2022

Finanziato da

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Costo totale

€ 171 473,28

Contributo UE

€ 171 473,28

Coordinato da

CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Lefko-Phos (Binuclear Iridium(III) Complexes for White-Emitting OLEDs)

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2020-02-15 al 2022-02-14

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

The main objective of Lefko-Phoς is the development of photoactive materials emitting white light with high efficiency and high thermal, photochemical and electrochemical stability. Such materials are designed to be used in white-emitting OLEDs (WOLEDs).

Current WOLED technology (for lighting or displays) requires the use of multiple luminophores in a single device by using (i) three different red-green-blue emitters or (ii) two-colour combination of blue-orange emissive materials. However, these strategies often do not work properly, because the final materials delivered imbalanced white-light emission, low efficiency and colour instability, due to the different stability over time of each single emitter. Moreover, the manufacturing process of WOLEDs becomes more complicated due to the incorporation of multiple emissive layers or a single emissive layer with multiple dopants.

To overcome these drawbacks, Lefko-Phoς attempts to generate white-light emission from a single-component material. The target emitters are binuclear cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes, whose emitting units are linked by a non-conjugated bridging ligand.

Lavoro eseguito dall’inizio del progetto fino alla fine del periodo coperto dalla relazione e principali risultati finora ottenuti

The first target of Lefko-Phoς was the creation of a library of unconjugated bridging ligands based on oxadiazole spacers. Two main types of bridges were explored: (1) a linear one with a central para-phenylene moiety and (2) a bent one with a meta substitution. The two terminal groups of the bridge were subsequently equipped with structurally different ancillary-ligand moieties capable of chelating an iridium(III) ion. Several cyclometalating ligands were also explored to tune the emission properties of the two uncoupled iridium-based centers for obtaining truly complementary emission colors.

All the synthesized complexes were structurally characterized by NMR and X-ray diffraction techniques. The electronic and optical properties of such materials were investigated by electrochemical methods and by UV-visible absorption and emission spectroscopy, using both steady-state and time-resolved techniques. All the experimental findings were properly rationalized with the help of computational modeling, using density-functional theory. The most promising emitters are currently tested as single-molecule emitting materials in white-emitting OLEDs (WOLEDs).

The outcomes of the project have been presented at two national and international conferences. At least two peer-reviewed scientific publications will be shortly submitted to prove the efficacy of the Lefko-Phoς approach for the fabrication of single-molecule WOLEDs.

Progressi oltre lo stato dell’arte e potenziale impatto previsto (incluso l’impatto socioeconomico e le implicazioni sociali più ampie del progetto fino ad ora)

Lefko-Phoς shed light on the relatively unexplored field of heteroleptic binuclear iridium(III) complexes contributing to the understanding of both the stereochemistry of these compounds and the energy-transfer processes occurring within these photoactive arrays.

The scientific knowledge produced by Lefko-Phoς will contribute to evaluate the feasibility of using white-emitting single-molecule active materials for the industrial productions of WOLEDs. This action can contribute to achieve the ambitious targets the European Union set in its amended Energy Efficiency Directive 2018/2002.

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