Influence of the Guest on Aggregation of the Host by Exciton–Polaron Interactions and Its Effects on the Stability of Phosphorescent Organic Light-Emitting Devices

The root causes of the differences in electroluminescence stability among phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices (PHOLEDs) utilizing different emitter guests are studied. The results show that the host material plays a more influential role in limiting device stability in comparison to the guest. During the operation of a PHOLED, the host undergoes aggregation as a result of interactions between the excitons and positive polarons. The rate of this aggregation is found to be the limiting factor for device lifetime and is influenced by the choice of the guest material and its concentration. Finally, it is shown that phase segregation between the host and the guest is an important aspect of the aggregation process. As a result of this segregation, energy transfer from the host to the guest becomes increasingly less efficient, resulting in the observed gradual loss in electroluminescence efficiency in the devices over time. The findings explain why PHOLEDs utilizing different guest materials but otherwise identical material systems can have significantly different lifetimes and provide an answer to a long-lasting question in the field.