Highly efficient nondoped blue organic light-emitting diodes based on anthracene-triphenylamine derivatives

Blue light-emitting anthracene derivatives end-capped with triphenylamine for efficient hole transportation have been designed and synthesized using two-step Suzuki coupling reactions. The compounds possess high glass transition temperatures for good thermal stability and strong blue emission in solution. Typical three-layer organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) made from these compounds show highly efficient blue emission, which are better than or comparable to state-of-the-art fluorescent OLEDs performance. For example, 9-pyrenyl-10-(4-triphenylamine) anthrancene (PAA)-based nondoped device exhibits efficient blue emission with a maximum efficiency up to 7.9 cd/A (or 6.8 lm/W). Based on the good hole transport of the anthracene-triphenylamine derivatives, deep blue emitting devices with high efficiency were achieved by using the derivatives as both emitter and hole transporter. © 2008 American Chemical Society.