Multi-colour electroluminescence of dendronic antennae containing pyrenes as light harvesters

Dendronic antennae systems containing pyrene units as energy donors and a styrylpyridinium derivative as energy acceptor show efficient energy transfer from the green-emitting pyrene excimer to the red-emitting acceptor. For the third dendron generation the effective screening of the pyrene units on the acceptor provides thin films showing bright red emission. Single-layer light-emitting diodes prepared by properly balancing the dendrons and donor units concentration in polyvinylcarbazole show electroluminescence from the blue, green and red components of the monomeric donor, the donor excimer and the acceptor when excitons are generated in the polymer and subsequently transferred to the molecules by resonant energy transfer.