Color tunable electroluminescence from organic light-emitting devices by manipulating exciton and exciplex emissions

While exciplex formation is considered to have a negative impact on the performance of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs), it can be utilized as a simple means for manipulating the emission colors. Here, we explore various important factors influencing the exciplex formation in order to provide a simple way for tailoring the emission color of OLEDs involving exciplex emission. In addition to the well-known effects of the energy difference between electron affinity and ionization potential (I _P) of organic materials used, we found that electron mobility and I _P of electron- transporting layer (ETL) are also critical factors in controlling the intensity of exciplex emission via the influence on charge accumulation intensity at the organic/organic interface. Interestingly, devices with green, blue, and white electroluminescence colors can be attained by simply replacing different ETL materials in contact with the same blue fluorophore underneath. The underlying mechanism for the color change in OLEDs will be discussed. © 2010 World Scientific Publishing Company.