Enhanced efficiency in nondoped, blue organic light-emitting diodes utilizing simultaneously local excition and two charge-transfer exciton from benzimidazole-based donor–acceptor molecules

•Novel benzimidazole and triphenylamine donor–acceptor derivatives were synthesized and characterized.•The devices based on them show high efficiency 5.66% of EQEm for TPABBBI and 4.23% for TPABBI.•All of them show a low efficiency roll-off at high luminance and stable blue emission.•The results are demonstrated to be the simultaneous utilization of LE, ICT, and TICT.

The simultaneous utilization of all charge-transfer excitons and local excitons is the pathway to obtain the high efficiency fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes (FOLEDs). Here, a twisted intramolecular charge transfer state (TICT-state), a planar intramolecular charge transfer state (ICT-state), and a locally excited state (LE-state) are demonstrated to enhance the occurrence of singlet excitons in the fluorescent emitters, which are based on benzimidazole and triphenylamine donor–acceptor derivatives. The synthesis, photophysics and electroluminescent (EL) performance are studied systematically. The fluorescence emitters (TPABBBI and TPABBI) with the special TICT and ICT characteristics realize the electron–hole (e–h) recombination via intramolecular conversion from charge-transfer excitons to radiative singlet exciton. The devices based on them show high efficiency (5.1 cd/A, 5.77 lm/W, 5.66% of EQEm for TPABBBI and 3.56 cd/A, 3.11 lm/W, 4.23% for TPABBI), low efficiency roll-off at high luminance and stable blue emission.

Graphical abstractA twisted intramolecular charge transfer state (TICT-state), a planar intramolecular charge transfer state (ICT-state), and a locally excited state (LE-state) are demonstrated to enhance the occurrence of singlet excitons in the fluorescent emitters, which are based on benzimidazole and triphenylamine donor–acceptor derivatives.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide