Durham team makes blue OLED breakthrough

The findings by scientists at Durham University could help enable the next generation of energy-saving display technologies. Their results have been published in Nature Photonics.

OLED displays found in most smartphones and TVs rely on light emission from specialised organic molecules, but obtaining stable, efficient blue emission suitable for displays remains challenging.

Now, Durham University said its researchers have unlocked a new design strategy using ‘hyperfluorescent’ OLEDs, where energy is transferred from a ‘sensitiser’ molecule to a separate ‘emitter’ molecule.

The team found that sensitiser molecules, previously dismissed as poor emitters, perform remarkably well in hyperfluorescent OLEDs.

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In a statement, Durham University’s Kleitos Stavrou, lead author of the study, said: "We discovered a 'blind spot' where materials overlooked by conventional thinking can become highly effective when used as sensitisers in hyperfluorescence OLEDs.”

According to the University, the molecule ACRSA – a spiro compound that exhibits efficient thermally activated delayed fluorescence - was found to triple the OLED efficiency when used as a sensitiser in hyperfluorescence OLEDs.