Novel pyrene derivatives: Synthesis, properties and highly efficient non-doped deep-blue electroluminescent device

Two novel pyrene derivatives 1,6-bis(3,5-diphenylphenyl)pyrene (BDPP) and 1,6-bis(2-naphthyl)pyrene (BNP) were synthesized and characterized by H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR, mass spectrum and elemental analysis. The compounds BDPP and BNP exhibit bright blue emission with high fluorescence quantum yields. The quantum chemical calculations show that BDPP has a higher non-coplanar structure compared to BNP. The electrochemical properties and energy levels of the compounds were investigated by cyclic voltammetry. BDPP exhibits a high thermal stability with the decomposition temperature of 440 degrees C and the glass transition temperature of 139 degrees C. The non-doped device based on BDPP achieves a very stable deep-blue emission with a maximum efficiency of 3.26 cd/A. The 1931 CIE coordinates (0.15, 0.11) of this device are very close to the National Television System Committee blue standard. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.