Luminous efficiency enhancement of PVK based OLEDs with fac-[ClRe(CO)3(bpy)]

The luminous efficiency of organic light-emitting diodes based on poly(N-vinylcarbazole), PVK, was improved by adding fac-[ClRe(CO)3(bpy)], bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, to PVK host. Emissive layers with various Re(I) complex/host ratio were employed and optoelectronic properties were compared with the single PVK device. The single PVK device exhibits a characteristic electroluminescence with blue emission, λmax 420 nm, assigned to the PVK excimer. On the other hand, the intense and broad band at λmax 580 nm of the Re(I) complex/PVK OLEDs is ascribed to the metal-to-ligand charge transfer excited state emission of fac-[ClRe(CO)3(bpy)]. At 30 V, the device luminous efficiency increased from 16 mcd/A for the single PVK device to 211 mcd/A for the 11% (w/w) Re(I) complex/PVK OLED, in which fac-[ClRe(CO)3(bpy)] acts as an electron-trap in PVK films. The device current is space-charge limited and exhibits typical emissive layer thickness dependence.