A zig-zag type bidibenzofuran based host material for green phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes

•Bidibenzofuran derived host material for phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes.•High quantum efficiency above 20% in green phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes.•Zig-zag type host design for bipolar charge transport properties.

A zig-zag type carbazole modified bidibenzofuran compound, 2,2'-di(carbazol-9-yl)-4,4'-bidibenzo[b,d]furan, was synthesized as the host material for green phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes by coupling two 9-(dibenzo[b,d]furan-2-yl)carbazole moieties via 4- position of dibenzofuran. The carbazole modified bidibenzofuran host showed a triplet energy of 2.75 eV and the highest occupied molecular orbital/the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of −6.10 eV/−2.87 eV for hole and electron injection. The bidibenzofuran host was doped with green emitting tris(2-phenylpyridine) iridium and high quantum efficiency of 20.6% was achieved in the green phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes.