Synthesis and Characterisation of 2-(4-(Aryl)phenyl)benzothiazoles

The APBT OLED device was most intensive and stable among the three derivatives. The CIE coordinate of the APBT device showed (0.187, 0.281)-(0.183, 0.234) during the alteration of applied voltages (5.5–9.5V), of which position was in the range of deep blue color. [Display omitted] •In the course of finding new blue-emitting OLED materials, we have newly designed and synthesized 2-(4-(-(aryl)phenyl)benzothiazole derivatives.•A synthetic merit of this research is one step reaction using well-known Suzuki-Miyaura reaction.•Among the three benzothiazole derivatives, the APBT device showed most intensive and stable blue-emission, of which position was in the range of deep blue color.•Therefore, the benzothiazole derivatives are believed to expand the scope of blue-emitting OLED materials if derivatives of the same kind are fully designed. Polyacene–benzothiazole derivatives (2-(4-(anthracen-9-yl)phenyl)benzo[d]thiazole (APBT), 2-(4-(naphth-alen-1-yl)phenyl)benzo[d]thiazole (NPBT), and 2-(4-(phenyl)phenyl)benzo[d]thiazole (or 2-(biphen-yl-4-yl)benzo[d]thiazole (PPBT)) were synthesized and fabricated into organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices. Deep blue light of 458, 437, and 438 nm was emitted from the APBT, NPBT, and PPBT devices, respectively; the corresponding derivative energy band gaps (Eg) were 2.26, 2.21, and 2.44 eV, respectively. Being the most stable amongst the three derivatives, APBT device emitted the most intense colour. CIE coordinates of this device changed from (0.187, 0.281) to (0.183, 0.234) with increasing applied voltage in the range of 5.5–9.5 V, confirming the position in the deep blue range.