D-O-A based organic phosphors for both aggregation-induced electrophosphorescence and host-free sensitization

Pure organic phosphors capable of room-temperature phosphorescence show a great potential in organic light-emitting diodes, while it is limited by the big challenge to realize efficient electroluminescence under electric excitation. Herein, we develop a class of organic phosphors based on acridine as the electron donor, triazine as the electron acceptor and oxygen as the bridge between them. Benefitting from the characteristic donor-oxygen-acceptor geometry, these compounds are found to behave an exciting aggregation-induced organic room-temperature electrophosphorescence, and achieve a record-high external quantum efficiency of 15.8% for non-doped devices. Furthermore, they can sensitize multi-resonant emitters in the absence of any additional wide bandgap host, leading to an effective narrowband emission with a peak external quantum efficiency of 26.4% and a small full-width at half maximum of 26 nm. The results clearly indicate that donor-oxygen-acceptor geometry is a promising strategy to design organic phosphors suitable for organic light-emitting diodes.