Highly Efficient Light-Emitting Diodes Based on an Organic Antimony(III) Halide Hybrid

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Inorganic Chemistry
• Optoelectronics

Background:

• Low-dimensional, lead-free organic antimony(III) halides present promising alternatives to lead perovskites due to enhanced stability and reduced toxicity.
• These materials offer diverse structural topologies and exceptional optical properties, making them suitable for optoelectronic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel zero-dimensional (0D) antimony(III) hybrid, (MePPh3)2SbCl5.
• To investigate its photophysical properties and potential for optoelectronic devices, specifically organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and structural characterization of the (MePPh3)2SbCl5 antimony(III) hybrid.
• Photophysical characterization, including emission spectra, quantum yield, and lifetime measurements.
• Fabrication and testing of electrically driven OLEDs using neat and doped films of the synthesized material.

Main Results:

• The (MePPh3)2SbCl5 hybrid exhibits brilliant orange emission (λpeak = 593 nm) with a near-unity photoluminescent quantum yield (99.4%).
• Broadband emission with a microsecond lifetime (3.24 μs) was attributed to self-trapped emission (STE).
• Doped OLED devices demonstrated significantly improved performance, with peak luminance, current efficiency (CE), and external quantum efficiency (EQE) boosted to 3500 cd/m², 6.8 cd/A, and 3.1%, respectively.

Conclusions:

• The zero-dimensional (0D) antimony(III) hybrid (MePPh3)2SbCl5 shows excellent photoluminescent properties and potential for optoelectronic applications.
• Doping enhances device performance by improving surface morphology and carrier transport, leading to highly efficient organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).
• This work highlights the potential of lead-free antimony(III) hybrids as stable and efficient materials for next-generation optoelectronic devices.