Acyclic, Linear Oligo‐meta‐phenylenes as Multipotent Base Materials for Highly Efficient Single‐layer Organic Light‐emitting Devices

Oligo‐meta‐phenylenes have been designed and synthesized as multipotent base materials of single‐layer organic light‐emitting devices. Simple molecular structures of oligo‐meta‐phenylenes composed of linear phenylene arrays benefited from the wealth of modern reactions available for biaryl couplings and were concisely synthesized in a series. Structure‐performance relationship studies with the first seven congeners revealed key features important for the multipotent materials in single‐layer devices. As a result, highly efficient phosphorescent electroluminescence was made possible in a highly simplified device architecture comprising one‐region, single‐layer configurations. Detailed investigations with hole‐only devices disclosed that the hole mobility was effectively retarded by potent materials, which should facilitate hole/electron recombination for electroluminescence. Lumos! Arrayed in linear phenylene panels, hydrogen and carbon atoms do it all for an Ir‐phosphorescent emitter to shine in a one‐region, single‐layer device.Insert text for Table of Contents here.