High-efficiency all fluorescence white OLEDs with high color rendering index by manipulating excitons in co-host recombination layers

Abstract

All fluorescence white organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) based on thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters are an attractive route to realize highly efficient and high color quality white light sources. However, harvesting triplet excitons in these devices remains a formidable challenge, particularly for WOLEDs involving conventional fluorescent emitters. Herein, we report a universal design strategy based on a co-host system and a cascaded exciton transfer configuration. The co-host system furnishes a broad and charge-balanced exciton generation zone, which simultaneously endows the devices with low efficiency roll-off and good color stability. A yellow TADF layer is put forward as an intermediate sensitizer layer between the blue TADF light-emitting layer (EML) and the red fluorescence EML, which not only constructs an efficient cascaded Förster energy transfer route but also blocks the triplet exciton loss channel through Dexter energy transfer. With the proposed design strategy, three-color all fluorescence WOLEDs reach a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 22.4% with a remarkable color rendering index (CRI) of 92 and CIE coordinates of (0.37, 0.40). Detailed optical simulation confirms the high exciton utilization efficiency. Finally, by introducing an efficient blue emitter 5Cz-TRZ, a maximum EQE of 30.1% is achieved with CIE coordinates of (0.42, 0.42) and a CRI of 84 at 1000 cd m⁻². These outstanding results demonstrate the great potential of all fluorescence WOLEDs in solid-state lighting and display panels.