Green-synthesized, low-cost tetracyanodiazafluorene (TCAF) as electron injection material for organic light-emitting diodes

Two electron-deficient azaacenes including di- and tetra-cyanodiazafluorene (DCAF and TCAF) with the advantages of deep lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), green-synthesis, low-cost, simply purification method, excellent yields have been obtained, characterized and used as electron injection materials (EIMs) in three groups of electroluminescence devices. Device B with TCAF as EIM exhibited the best performance including turn-on voltage of 5.0 V, stronger maximum luminance intensity of 31,549 cd/m², higher luminance efficiency of 62.34 cd/A and larger power efficiency of 21.74 lm/W which are 0.53, 6.7, 9.3 and 15.3 times than that of device A with DCAF as EIMs, respectively. The enhanced interfacial electron injection ability of TCAF than that of DCAF is supported by its better electron mobility in electron-only device, deeper LUMO (-4.52 eV), and stronger electronic affinity. Best external quantum efficiency of 16.56% was achieved with optimized thicknesses of TCAF as EIM and TPBi as electron transporting layer. As a new comer of acceptor family, TCAF would push forward organic electronics with more fascinating and significant applications.