Orange phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes with high operational stability

In this article we report on the performances of phosphorescent orange organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) having a high operational stability. The fabricated devices all consist of a “hybrid” structure, where the hole-injection layer was processed from solution, while the rest of the organic materials were deposited by vacuum thermal evaporation. A device stack having an emissive layer comprising a carbazole-based host TCzMe doped with the orange phosphor tris(2-phenylquinoline)iridium(III) [Ir(2-phq)3] shows improved efficiencies compared to a the same device with the standard N,N′-bis(naphthalen-1-yl)-N,N′-bis(phenyl)-benzidine (NPB) as host material. External quantum efficiency (EQE) up to 7.4% and a power efficiency of 16 lm/W were demonstrated using TCzMe. Most importantly, the operational stability of the device was largely improved, resulting in extrapolated values reaching lifetimes well above 100,000 h at initial luminance of 1000 Cd/m2.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Phosphorescent orange OLEDs with long operational stability. ► Carbazole-based small-molecule host together with orange emitter Ir(2-phq)3. ► “Hybrid” device structure with a solution-processed HIL. ► Extrapolated lifetimes above 100,000 h at initial luminance of 1000 Cd/m2.