Structural, optical and electrical properties of europium picrate tetraethylene glycol complex as emissive material for OLED

► The [Eu(Pic)2(H2O)(EO4)](Pic)·0.75(H2O) is crystallized in triclinic with space group P-1. ► The complex is applied as a emissive center in single layer device structure of ITO/EO4-Eu-Pic/Al. ► The complex displays a red luminescence in both the crystalline complex and its thin film state. ► The low turn on voltage of the device (4.6 V), indicating that this material is suitable for OLED. ► The roughness and morphology of the thin film affects luminance and electrical properties of OLED.