Pyridinyl-Carbazole Fragments Containing Host Materials for Efficient Green and Blue Phosphorescent OLEDs

Pyridinyl-carbazole fragments containing low molar mass compounds as host derivatives H1 and H2 were synthesized, investigated, and used for the preparation of electro-phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices (PhOLEDs). The materials demonstrated high stability against thermal decomposition with the decomposition temperatures of 361–386 °C and were suitable for the preparation of thin amorphous and homogeneous layers with very high values of glass transition temperatures of 127–139 °C. It was determined that triplet energy values of the derivatives are, correspondingly, 2.82 eV for the derivative H1 and 2.81 eV for the host H2. The new derivatives were tested as hosts of emitting layers in blue, as well as in green phosphorescent OLEDs. The blue device with 15 wt.% of the iridium(III)[bis(4,6-difluorophenyl)-pyridinato-N,C2′]picolinate (FIrpic) emitter doping ratio in host material H2 exhibited the best overall characteristics with a power efficiency of 24.9 lm/W, a current efficiency of 23.9 cd/A, and high value of 10.3% of external quantum efficiency at 100 cd/m2. The most efficient green PhOLED with 10 wt% of Ir(ppy)3 {tris(2-phenylpyridine)iridium(III)} in the H2 host showed a power efficiency of 34.1 lm/W, current efficiency of 33.9 cd/A, and a high value of 9.4% for external quantum efficiency at a high brightness of 1000 cd/m2, which is required for lighting applications. These characteristics were obtained in non-optimized PhOLEDs under an ordinary laboratory atmosphere and could be improved in the optimization process. The results demonstrate that some of the new host materials are very promising components for the development of efficient phosphorescent devices.