Physics

OLED

Nanotechnology

Quantum efficiency

Carbazole

Stereochemistry

Luminance

Optics

Catalysis

Excited state

Atomic physics

Chemistry

Materials science

Pyrazine

Carbene

Layer (electronics)

Optoelectronics

Biochemistry

Photochemistry

Fluorescence

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

A critical step in advancing the practical application of copper-based organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) is to bridge the large gap between device efficiency and operational stability at practical luminance. Described is a panel of air- and thermally stable two-coordinate CuI emitters featuring bulky pyrazine- (PzIPr) or pyridine-fused N-heterocyclic carbene (PyIPr*) and carbazole (Cz) ligands with enhanced amide-Cu-carbene bonding interactions. These CuI emitters display thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) from the 1 LL'CT(Cz→PzIPr/PyIPr*) excited states across the blue to red regions with exceptional radiative rate constants of 1.1-2.2×106 s-1 . Vapour-deposited OLEDs based on these CuI emitters showed excellent external quantum efficiencies and luminance up to 23.6 % and 222 200 cd m-2 , respectively, alongside record device lifetimes (LT90 ) up to 1300 h at 1000 cd m-2 under our laboratory conditions, highlighting the practicality of the CuI -TADF emitters.

Highly Robust CuI‐TADF Emitters for Vacuum‐Deposited OLEDs with Luminance up to 222 200 cd m−2 and Device Lifetimes (LT90) up to 1300 hours at an Initial Luminance of 1000 cd m−2