High-efficiency and stable deep-blue iridium phosphorescent OLEDs with enhanced charge transfer dynamics

Deep-blue phosphorescent OLEDs (Ph-OLEDs) with high efficiency and stability are essential for advanced display technologies, ensuring sharp image quality and enhanced visibility. In this work, we report a novel class of asymmetric [3 + 2 + 1] coordinated iridium(III) complexes incorporate strongly electron-withdrawing trifluoromethyl (–CF 3 ) and fluorine (–F) modified N-heterocyclic carbene ligands. This strategic molecular design enables efficient deep-blue emission. Among these complexes, the CF 3 -substituted Ir(III) complex ( CF 3 -2 ) exhibits pronounced charge-transfer (CT) characteristics and a significantly enhanced radiative decay rate ( kᵣ k r = 1.28 ×10⁶ s -1 ), enabling rapid and efficient phosphorescence at 443 nm. Devices employing CF 3 -2 demonstrated exceptional maximum external quantum efficiency ( EQE max ) of up to 29.0%, with emission centered at 443 nm and Commission Internationale de L’Éclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.147, 0.089), fulfilling National Television System Committee (NTSC) blue standards for high-quality displays. Meanwhile, devices employing CF 3 -1 reached an EQE max of 24.6% with a maximum luminance of 6542 cd m −2 and CIE x,y of (0.152,0.126), demonstrating high color purity and efficiency. A control device fabricated without sensitization using CF 3 -1 further confirms its intrinsic material stability by exhibiting a remarkable operational lifetime of LT 50 of 3875 h at L = 100 cd m −2 with CIE x,y of (0.132,0.131). Furthermore, hyper-OLEDs were developed using these complexes as phosphorescent sensitizers. The hyper-OLED incorporating CF 3 -1 with the TADF emitter v -DABNA achieved an impressive device lifetime of LT 50 = 2127 h at 100 cd m −2 . In parallel, the CF 3 -2 -sensitized hyper-OLED using DOB2-DABNA-A achieved a deep-blue emission with CIE coordinates of (0.146, 0.067) and a lifetime of LT 50 = 373 h under the same luminance, representing a significant advancement in the practical stability of deep-blue OLEDs. Notably, we demonstrate the successful integration of these deep-blue Ph-OLEDs with OLED-on-TFT microdisplay technology, achieving a pixel resolution of 94 PPI (270 × 270 μm) with programmable emission patterns. This innovative molecular coordination design strategy provides valuable insights into ligand engineering and exciton management, opening new pathways toward high-efficiency, long-lifetime deep-blue OLEDs for next-generation microdisplay and display technologies.