Employing heavy metal-free colloidal quantum dots in solution-processed white light-emitting diodes

We report in this communication the design and fabrication of solution-processed white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) containing a bilayer of heavy metal-free colloidal quantum dots (QDs) and polymer in the device active region. White electroluminescence was obtained in the LEDs by mixing the red emission of ZnCuInS/ZnS core/shell QDs and the blue-green emission of poly(N,N'-bis(4-butylphenyl)-N,N'-bis(phenyl)benzidine). A high color rendering index of 92 was achieved as compared to a 5310 K blackbody reference by virtue of broadband emission of the QDs. The Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage chromaticity coordinates of the white LED output exhibit a distinctive bias dependence. Finally, aging of the white LEDs was studied, revealing the difference between the photochemical stabilities of the QDs and polymer molecules and the consequent effect on the color evolution of the LEDs.