Dibenzofuran derivatives with meta- and para-triphenylamine substituents as hole-transporting materials in organic light-emitting devices

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/j.dyepig.2019.108121

Three novel hole-transporting materials, 3,3'-(dibenzo[b,d]furan-2,8-diyl)bis(N,N-diphenylaniline) (BF-m-TPA), 4,4'-(dibenzo[b,d]furan-2,8-diyl)bis(N,N-diphenylaniline) (BF-p-TPA) and 4,4'-(dibenzo[b,d]furan-2,6-diyl)bis(N,N-diphenylaniline) (BF-2,6-TPA), were designed and synthesized. Owing to the rigid dibenzofuran core, these BF-TPA derivatives exhibited high thermal decomposition temperatures of over 395 °C and very high LUMO energy levels. Electroluminescent (EL) devices were fabricated using these three hole-transporting materials. The best device performance was obtained for BF-m-TPA, with the maximum luminance (L) of 15,230 cd/m², luminance efficiency (LE) of 56.5 cd/A, power efficiency (PE) of 13.3 lm/W, and external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 16.3%.

Full text of DOI:10.1016/j.dyepig.2019.108121

Journal Pre-proof
Dibenzofuran derivatives with meta- and para-triphenylamine substituents as hole-
transporting materials in organic light-emitting devices
Seong-Jae Yun, Min Hye Seo, Sungkoo Lee
PII:
S0143-7208(19)32008-X
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dyepig.2019.108121
DYPI 108121
Reference:
To appear in: Dyes and Pigments
Received Date: 27 August 2019
Revised Date: 9 December 2019
Accepted Date: 9 December 2019
Please cite this article as: Yun S-J, Seo MH, Lee S, Dibenzofuran derivatives with meta- and para-
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Dibenzofuran derivatives with meta- and para-triphenylamine
substituents as hole-transporting materials in organic light-
emitting devices
Seong-Jae Yun, Min Hye Seo, Sungkoo Lee
IT Convergence Materials Group, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Chungnam-do,
331-882, Republic of Korea.
Graphical abstracts

Dibenzofuran derivatives with meta- and para-triphenylamine
substituents as hole-transporting materials in organic light-
emitting devices
Seong-Jae Yun, Min Hye Seo, Sungkoo Lee*
IT Convergence Materials Group, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Chungnam-do,
331-882, Republic of Korea.
* Corresponding author. Tel: +82 42 589 8466; fax: +82 42 589 8580; E-mail address:
sungkoo@kitech.re.kr

Abstract
Three novel hole-transporting materials, 3,3'-(dibenzo[b,d]furan-2,8-diyl)bis(N,N-
diphenylaniline) (BF-m-TPA), 4,4'-(dibenzo[b,d]furan-2,8-diyl)bis(N,N-diphenylaniline)
(BF-p-TPA) and 4,4'-(dibenzo[b,d]furan-2,6-diyl)bis(N,N-diphenylaniline) (BF-2,6-TPA),
were designed and synthesized. Owing to the rigid dibenzofuran core, these BF-TPA
derivatives exhibited high thermal decomposition temperatures of over 395 °C and very high
LUMO energy levels. Electroluminescent (EL) devices were fabricated using these three
hole-transporting materials. The best device performance was obtained for BF-m-TPA, with
the maximum luminance (L) of 15,230 cd/m2, luminance efficiency (LE) of 56.5 cd/A, power
efficiency (PE) of 13.3 lm/W, and external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 16.3%.
Keywords: dibenzofuran derivatives, triphenylamine based material, hole-transporting
materials, green PhOLEDs, highly thermal stability.

1. Introduction
In this decade, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have attracted considerable interest
due to their potential applications in flat panel displays and solid-state lighting.[1-4]
Phosphorescent OLEDs (PhOLEDs) using iridium complexes as dopants have attracted
extensive attention in recent years owing to their potential advantages of harvesting excitons
from both the singlet and triplet energy states.[5-9] It is well demonstrated that carrier-
transporting materials are crucial for enabling a balanced carrier transport for the electrodes.
[10-12] Among carrier-transporting materials, the hole-transporting layer (HTL) is one of the
key functional layers because it reduces the energy barrier between the anode and the
emitting layer (EML), facilitating the injection of holes and their transport in devices.[13-16]
There has been extensive research for the development of remarkable hole-transport
materials (HTMs) with the following properties. First, good hole mobility to enable the
transfer of positive charge carriers from the anode to the emitting layer;[15] second, high
electrochemical and thermal stability for high-temperature operations;[17,18] third, a suitable
HOMO energy level to easy hole injection from anode to EML; fourth, a suitable LUMO
energy level to block electron transfer from EML to HTL.[19-21] Dibenzofuran based on
electron-rich moiety have been widely used for designing HTMs and host materials because
of its high triplet energy and thermal stability, which make substituted dibenzofurans ideal
materials for use in organic optoelectronic devices, including OLEDs, field-effect transistors,
and photovoltaic cells. Triphenylamine (TPA) is a well-known hole-transporting functional
group and matches well with the work function of anodes.[24,25] The lone pair electrons of
N-atom of TPA is delocalized over the aromatic rings, leading to multiple resonance
structures, making these structures strong electron donors and excellent HTMs.[26]
Dibenzofuran is also a good electron donor; therefore, compounds containing both
dibenzofuran and TPA are not only thermally stable but also have relatively high HOMO
energy levels, which can lower the energy barriers for hole-transport, thereby enhancing hole
mobility.
Hence, we synthesized three HTMs based on dibenzofuran as the core and TPA as the side
group, and the thermal, optical, and electrochemical properties of these BF-TPA derivatives
were compared according to the substitution position. Finally, the electroluminescent devices
were fabricated using these BF-TPA derivatives as a hole-transporting material.

2. Experimental
2.1. Materials
Dibenzofuran, N-bromosuccinimide (NBS), 3-bromoiodobenzene, diphenylamine, 4-
(diphenylamino)phenylboronic
acid
pinacol
ester,
4-bromodibenzofuran,
bis(pinacolato)diboron, tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(0), sodium tert-butoxide, tri-
tert-butylphosphine, tris(dibenzylideneacetone)dipalladium(0) and phenyliodine diacetate
were purchased from Aldrich Chemical Co. and SEJINCI CO. Before use, all the solvents
were purified and freshly distilled according to literature procedures.
2.2. Synthesis of 2,8-dibromodibenzofuran (1)
Dibenzofuran (5 g, 29.7 mmol) in DMF (20 mL) was poured dropwise solution of NBS
(11.6 g, 68.3 mmol) in DMF (25 mL). This mixture was stirred at room temperature to
precipitate the white compound (1), which was separated by filtration (3.8 g, 40 %). 1H NMR
(300 MHz, CDCl3) δ8.05 (s, 2H), 7.61 (d, 2H, J = 9.0 Hz), 7.47 (d, 2H, J = 9.0 Hz). 13C NMR
(75 MHz, CDCl3) δ 156.03, 129.21, 124.32, 124.18, 118.87, 111.81. HRMS (ESI, m/z): [M +
H]+ calcd for C12H6Br2O, 325.88; found 325.00. Elemental analysis; found: C, 44.14; H,
1.77 %; molecular formula C12H6Br2O requires C, 44.21; H, 1.86; Br, 49.02; O, 4.91%.
2.3. Synthesis of 2-iodo-6-bromodibenzofuran (2)
In a 250 mL round-bottom three-neck flask under a nitrogen atmosphere, 4-
bromodibenzofuran (5 g, 20 mmol), iodine (2.57 g, 10 mmol), phenyliodine diacetate (3.259
g, 10 mmol), sulfuric acid (0.01 mL), acetic acid (15 mL) and acetic anhydride (15 mL) were
placed, and stirred at room temperature for 10 h. The reaction mixture was washed with water,
1
extracted with dichloromethane, and concentrated to give compound (2) (3.6 g, 47.7 %). H
NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) δ8.27 (s, 1H), 7.85 (d, 1H, J = 6.0 Hz), 7.78 (d, 1H, J = 6.0 Hz),
7.66 (d, 1H, J = 9.0 Hz), 7.44 (d, 1H, J = 6.0 Hz), 7.25 (t, 1H, J = 7.5 Hz). 13C NMR (75
MHz, CDCl3) δ 155.41, 153.41, 136.38, 130.79, 130.01, 126.80, 124.37, 124.33, 119.80,
114.14, 104.59, 86.35. HRMS (ESI, m/z): [M + H]+ calcd for C12H6BrIO, 371.86; found
372.00. Elemental analysis; found: C, 38.38; H, 1.48 %; molecular formula C12H6BrIO
requires C, 38.64; H, 1.62; Br, 21.42; I, 34.02; O, 2.44%.
2.4. Synthesis of 2,8-bis(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)dibenzo[b,d]furan (3)

The compound (1) (2.5 g, 7.7 mmol), bis(pinacolato)diboron (4.5 g, 17.7 mmol) and
tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(0) (0.45 g, 0.13 mmol) and potassium acetate (2.3 g,
23 mmol) were dissolved in 1,4-dioxane (50 mL) and stirred for 12 h at 110 °C. The reaction
mixture was cooled to room temperature, extracted with dichloromethane (50 mL × 3), and
dried over anhydrous MgSO4. The crude product was subjected to flash column
chromatography (dichloromethane : n-hexane = 1 : 2) to give compound (3) (1.1 g, 61 %). 1H
NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) δ8.51 (s, 2H), 7.93 (d, 2H, J = 9.0 Hz), 7.58 (d, 2H, J = 9.0 Hz),
1.40 (s, 24H). 13C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3) δ 158.41, 133.72, 128.03, 123.83, 122.92, 111.07,
83.86, 24.94. HRMS (ESI, m/z): [M + H]+ calcd for C24H30B2O5, 420.23; found 420.30.
Elemental analysis; found: C, 68.92; H, 7.04 %; molecular formula C24H30B2O5 requires C,
68.61; H, 7.20; B, 5.15; O, 19.04%.
2.5. Synthesis of 2,8-bis(3-bromophenyl)dibenzo[b,d]furan (4)
2,8-bis(3-bromophenyl)dibenzo[b,d]furan (4) was prepared by following a modified method
of Suzuki coupling.[27] The compound (3) (1.6 g, 3.8 mmol), 3-bromoiodobenzene (2.38 g,
8.4 mmol), and tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(0) (0.35 g, 0.3 mmol) were stirred in
tetrahydrofuran (25 mL). Potassium carbonate solution (4M, 7 mL) and ethanol (8 mL) was
added to the mixture, followed by vigorously stirring for 12 h at 80 °C. The reaction mixture
was cooled to room temperature, extracted with dichloromethane (50 mL × 3), and dried over
anhydrous MgSO4. The crude product was subjected to flash column chromatography (ethyl
1
acetate : n-hexane = 1 : 4) to give compound (4) (1.1 g, 61 %). H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3)
δ8.19 (s, 2H), 7.86 (s, 2H), 7.72-7.62 (m, 6H), 7.54 (d, 2H, J = 9.0 Hz), 7.38 (t, 2H, J = 6.0
Hz). 13C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3) δ 156.24, 141.12, 136.68, 133.21, 131.47, 129.96, 126.78,
123.84, 122.97, 122.82, 119.20, 111.77. HRMS (ESI, m/z): [M + H]+ calcd for C24H14Br2O,
478.18; found 478.94. Elemental analysis; found: C, 44.14; H, 1.77; O, %molecular formula
C24H14Br2O requires C, 44.21; H, 1.86; Br, 49.02; O, 4.91%. Elemental analysis; found: C,
60.32; H, 2.89 %; molecular formula C24H14Br2O requires C, 60.28; H, 2.95; Br, 33.42; O,
3.35%.
2.6. Synthesis of 3,3'-(dibenzo[b,d]furan-2,8-diyl)bis(N,N-diphenylaniline) (BF-m-TPA)
Compound (4) (1 g, 2.1 mmol), P(t-Bu)3 (0.021 g, 0.11 mmol), Pd2(dba)3 (0.058 g, 0.063
mmol), diphenylamine (0.9 g, 5.3 mmol), and sodium tert-butoxide (0.51 g, 5.3 mmol) were
dissolved in toluene (20 mL). After the reaction mixture was stirred in a nitrogen atmosphere

for 20 h at 100 °C, it was cooled to room temperature. And then the reaction mixture
extracted with dichloromethane (80 mL × 3) and dried over anhydrous MgSO4. The crude
product was subjected to flash column chromatography (ethyl acetate : n-hexane = 1 : 4) to
give BF-m-TPA (1.2 g, 87 %). 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) δ8.10 (s, 2H), 7.60 (t, 4H, J = 9.0
Hz), 7.45 (s, 2H), 7.38-7.28 (m, 12H), 7.20 (d, 8H, J = 9.0 Hz), 7.12-7.03 (m, 6H). 13C NMR
(75 MHz, CDCl3) δ 156.24, 148.39, 147.85, 142.42, 136.18, 129.69, 129.30, 126.78, 124.62,
124.24, 123.08, 122.96, 122.82, 121.89, 119.20, 111.77. HRMS (ESI, m/z): [M + H]+ calcd
for C48H34N2O, 654.27; found 654.35. Elemental analysis; found: C, 87.79; H, 5.34; N, 4.29;
O, 2.58%; molecular formula C48H34N2O requires C, 88.04; H, 5.23; N, 4.28; O, 2.44%.
2.7. Synthesis of 4,4'-(dibenzo[b,d]furan-2,8-diyl)bis(N,N-diphenylaniline) (BF-p-TPA)[28]
A procedure identical to that for compound (4) was followed, using compound (1) (2 g, 6.1
mmol) and 4-(Diphenylamino)phenylboronic acid pinacol ester (5 g, 13.5 mmol). The
obtained crude compound was purified by silica gel chromatography (ethyl acetate : n-hexane
= 1 : 4) to give BF-p-TPA (2.67 g, 67 %). 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) δ8.19 (s, 2H), 7.72-
13
7.57 (m, 8H), 7.35-7.16 (m, 20H), 7.07 (t, 4H, J = 7.5 Hz). C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3) δ
156.03, 147.73, 147.04, 135.99, 135.31, 129.31, 128.05, 126.35, 124.82, 124.38, 124.16,
122.92, 118.68, 111.85. HRMS (ESI, m/z): [M + H]+ calcd for C48H34N2O, 654.27; found
654.04. Elemental analysis; found: C, 87.71; H, 5.27; N, 4.32; O, 2.61%; molecular formula
C48H34N2O requires C, 88.04; H, 5.23; N, 4.28; O, 2.44%.
2.8. Synthesis of 4,4'-(dibenzo[b,d]furan-2,6-diyl)bis(N,N-diphenylaniline) (BF-2,6-TPA)
A procedure identical to that for compound (4) was followed, using compound (2) (1.7 g,
4.6 mmol) and 4-(diphenylamino)phenylboronic acid pinacol ester (3.9 g, 10.5 mmol). The
obtained crude compound was purified by silica gel chromatography (ethyl acetate : n-hexane
= 1 : 4) to give compound (6) (1.8 g, 60 %). 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) δ8.17 (s, 1H), 7.95
(d, 1H, J = 6 Hz), 7.87 (d, 2H, J = 9 Hz), 7.72-7.58 (m, 5H), 7.45 (t, 1H, J = 9 Hz), 7.33-7.29
(m, 9H), 7.25-7.20 (m, 11H), 7.14-7.04 (m, 4H). 13C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3) δ 155.50,
153.78, 147.74, 147.64, 147.02, 135.97, 135.39, 130.03, 129.34, 128.07, 125.54, 124.78,
124.36, 124.18, 123.36, 122.67, 119.15, 118.66, 111.92. HRMS (ESI, m/z): [M + H]+ calcd
for C48H34N2O, 654.27; found 654.45. Elemental analysis; found: C, 88.04; H, 5.47; N, 4.25;
O, 2.50%; molecular formula C48H34N2O requires C, 88.03; H, 5.23; N, 4.28; O, 2.44%.

2.9. Instruments
1H and 13C NMR spectra were recorded on Bruker-Spectrospin 300 MHz spectrometer,
using CDCl3 as the solvent. Chemical shifts are reported in parts per million (ppm) relative to
residual CDCl3 at 7.26 ppm (for 1H NMR) and 77.0 ppm (for 13C NMR). UV-visible spectra
were recorded on a Shimadzu UV/Vis spectrophotometer, while the photoluminescence
spectra were measured using a PerkinElmer spectrofluoromater. Film thickness was measured
using a TENCOR surface profiler. Thermogravimetric analyzer was performed on
PerkinElmer Pyris 1 TGA with a heating scan rate of 10 °C /min from 40 to 800 °C under
nitrogen. Cyclic voltammetry (CV, AMETEK VersaSTAT 3) was carried out at a potential
scan rate of 50-100 mV s-1 in a 0.1 M solution of tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate
in acetonitrile under a N2 atmosphere at room temperature. The potential was reported
relative to a ferrocene/ferrocenium (Cp2Fe/Cp2Fe+) redox couple used as an internal reference.
High resolution mass spectra were measured using a JEOL JMS-700 and elemental analyses
using a Thermo Fisher Scientific Flash2000. Current density (I), voltage (V) and luminance
(L) data were collected using a Keithley 236 source measurement unit. The CIE coordination
was recorded using a PR-670 Spectra Scan Spectrophotomater.
2.10. Device fabrication
OLEDs were fabricated using BF-m-TPA, BF-p-TPA and BF-2,6-TPA as hole-transport
materials. ITO glasses were ultrasonically cleaned sequentially with deionized water, acetone,
and isopropanol, each for 15 min, and UV-ozone treated for 15 min. All of the organic layers
were deposited on the pre-cleaned ITO glass. LiF and Al were evaporated on the ETL layer at
a pressure of 5 × 10-7 Torr. Finally, all the devices were encapsulated using a glass cover and
all deposition processes were conducted inside a nitrogen-filled glove box.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Synthesis and structural characterization
The synthetic route used to prepare the BF-TPA derivatives is presented in Scheme 1. The
BF-m-TPA was synthesized in one step through a Buchwald-Hartwig coupling reaction
between compound (4) and diphenylamine and BF-p-TPA and BF-2,6-TPA were synthesized
using the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki coupling reaction of the 2,8-dibromodibenzofuran and

2-iodo-6-bromodibenzofuran with 4-(diphenylamino)phenylboronic acid pinacol ester. The
BF-TPA derivatives were purified by silica gel chromatography and obtained with over 60 %
1
yield. The BF-TPA derivatives were characterized by H NMR analysis, elemental analysis,
and mass spectrometry analysis.
The thermal stability of hole-transport materials is very important for device fabrication and
operation. The thermal characterization of BF-m-TPA, BF-p-TPA, and BF-2,6-TPA were
studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) in a nitrogen atmosphere. The five percent
weight loss temperatures of BF-m-TPA, BF-p-TPA, and BF-2,6-TPA were 425, 441, and
396
, respectively, indicating that the thermal stabilities were appropriate for
electroluminescent devices.
To gain information about the three-dimensional conformations and electronic structures of
BF-TPA derivatives, theoretical calculations were applied using density functional theory
(DFT) through Gaussian software at B3LYP/6-31G(d) basis set. The molecular structure and
electronic density distribution of BF-m-TPA, BF-p-TPA and BF-2,6-TPA are shown in Figure
1. In the materials synthesized, the triphenylamine units are linked at the 2,8- and 2,6-
positions to the dibenzofuran core. The HOMO level of BF-m-TPA is populated on the TPA
moieties, while the HOMO of BF-p-TPA and BF-2,6-TPA are distributed on the entire
molecule and localized primarily on the peripheral TPA moieties. The LUMO levels of BF-
m-TPA, BF-p-TPA, and BF-2,6-TPA are localized on dibenzofuran cores. No orbital overlap
between the HOMO and LUMO is found in BF-m-TPA and the separation of HOMO and
LUMO levels reveal their strong bipolar features.[29]
3.2. Optical and electrochemical properties
Figure 3 shows the UV-Vis and photoluminescence (PL) spectra of BF-m-TPA, BF-p-TPA
and BF-2,6-TPA in dichloromethane solution and film state at room temperature, and the
results are summarized in Table 1. The absorption maxima of BF-m-TPA, BF-p-TPA, and
BF-2,6-TPA were observed at 300, 325, and 340 nm, respectively. The BF-TPA derivatives
were showed the π-π* transition of around 250 nm and n-π* transition range of 300-350 nm.
The introduction in the para position of the diphenylamine group led to a conspicuous red
shift in BF-p-TPA and BF-2,6-TPA in comparison with BF-m-TPA. This result shows that
introduction diphenylamine group of the meta position could cause a blue shift due to the
short conjugation properties. The BF-TPA derivatives showed emission from UV to deep

blue at 403-425 nm in solution and 394-430 nm in film. The PL emission of BF-2,6-TPA was
red-shifted compared to BF-m-TPA and BF-p-TPA. The solid state of BF-m-TPA exhibited
emission ranging from 394 nm, which was significantly more blue-shifted than the solution
state. This result is probably due to the change from the crystalline to amorphous state.[30]
Phosphorescent emission peak from low temperature (at 77 K) PL measurement provided a
high triplet energy of 2.67, 2.55, and 2.47 eV in BF-m-TPA, BF-p-TPA, and BF-2,6-TPA,
respectively. The BF-TPA derivatives has a higher triplet energy than the 2.40 eV of
Ir(mppy)3. Thus, compounds can be used as an HTL material for green phosphorescent
OLEDs.
The optical band gaps (∆Eg) of BF-m-TPA, BF-p-TPA and BF-2,6-TPA deduced from the
absorption edge of the absorption spectra were 3.70, 3.40, and 3.30 eV, respectively. In order
to evaluate the redox behaviour of BF-TPA derivatives and access the HOMO energy levels,
we performed cyclic voltammetry (CV) with respect to ferrocene as a standard. The BF-TPA
derivatives revealed irreversible oxidation potentials at 0.83-0.91 V. The HOMO energy
levels of BF-m-TPA, BF-p-TPA, and BF-2,6-TPA were 5.31, 5.30, and 5.23 eV, respectively.
The LUMO levels were estimated from the HOMO levels and the values of optical band gaps
by ELUMO = EHOMO + ∆Eg. The resulting data are summarized in Table 1. The BF-m-TPA was
exhibited a very high LUMO energy of 1.61 eV. This result suggested that it effectively
blocked the electron transfer from EML to HTL.
Charge-carrier mobilities of BF-TPA derivatives were measured by the space-charge limited
current (SCLC) method. Hole-only devices were fabricated with the following structure to
hole transporting properties of BF-m-TPA, BF-p-TPA and BF-2,6-TPA; ITO/PEDOT:PSS
(30 nm)/ BF-TPA derivatives (100 nm)/ MoO3 (10 nm)/ Au (100 nm). Hole mobilities of BF-
m-TPA, BF-p-TPA and BF-2,6-TPA were 2.48 × 10-4 cm2 V-1 s-1, 2.53 × 10-6 cm2 V-1 s-1 and
1.40 × 10-5 cm2 V-1 s-1, respectively. According to the this result, it can be concluded that BF-
m-TPA will fabricate more efficient device, because of fast hole mobility properties
compared BF-p-TPA and BF-2,6-TPA.
3.3. Electroluminescent properties
To evaluate the performance of the BF-TPA derivatives as hole-transport layer, green
phosphorescent OLEDs were fabricated using green emitter Ir(mppy)3 as the dopant. The
device configuration was ITO/NPB (20 nm)/HTL (30 nm)/CzTP + Ir(mppy)3 (10 %, 40

nm)/TPBi (30 nm)/LiF (0.5 nm)/Al (500 nm) (HTL = BF-m-TPA: device 1, BF-p-TPA:
device 2 and BF-2,6-TPA: device 3) and Figure 4 shows a device construction and
HOMO/LUMO energy diagrams of the materials used. The performance of all devices are
also shown in Figure 5. The corresponding device data are presented in Table 2. The EL
spectra of devices based on BF-m-TPA, BF-p-TPA, and BF-2,6-TPA exhibit emission
exclusively from 512 nm of Ir(mppy)3. The three devices exhibit turn-on voltages of 6.3-8.0
V, maximum brightness of 10,244-15,230 cd/m2, luminance efficiencies (LE) of 28.6-56.5
cd/A, and power efficiencies (PE) of 8.6-13.7 lm/W. Device 3, which used BF-2,6-TPA as the
HTL, showed the lowest turn-on voltage among the three devices, which might be
attributable to the suitable HOMO energy level of BF-2,6-TPA.
Device 1 using BF-m-TPA had the best result with a maximum luminance of 15,230 cd/m2,
PE of 13.3 lm/W, LE of 56.5 cd/A, and EQE of 16.3 %. Such high efficiency could be
attributed to blocking electrons from EML to HTL, as a result of the high LUMO energy of
BF-m-TPA. Another reason is that the triplet energy of BF-m-TPA was over 0.25 eV higher
than of Ir(mppy)3 (2.4 eV).[31] Device 1 presented pure Ir(mppy)3 emission, while device 2
and device 3 exhibited an additional peak at 405 nm and 424 nm, respectively, which were
recognized as the BF-p-TPA and BF-2,6TPA emissions, respectively. This phenomenon
perhaps indicates that the BF-p-TPA and BF-2,6-TPA do not suite the energy level with the
EML layer, causing the hole to not transfer well to EML, and thereby generating excitons in
the HTL. Therefore, in future research, we will design a device in which the energy level is
suited to BF-p-TPA and BF-2,6-TPA to fabricate a more efficient device and to observe its
characteristics. Since the device configuration has not been optimized and the manufacturing
environment is not good in the present work, it is expected that further performance can be
improved by fine tuning the device structure and improving the manufacturing environment.
Future studies will further investigate the life characteristics of the devices through fine
tuning of the device.
4. Conclusions
We have successfully synthesized BF-m-TPA, BF-p-TPA, and BF-2,6-TPA as hole-
transporting materials containing dibenzofuran and triphenylamine. Their thermal,
photophysical, electrochemical, and electroluminescent properties have been investigated.
The BF-TPA derivatives have a high thermal stability of over 395 . They also have high

LUMO energy levels of over 1.93 eV. The BF-TPA derivatives were fabricated as hole-
transporting materials in green phosphorescent OLEDs. The fabricated OLEDs of the BF-m-
TPA showed the best performance with a current efficiency of 56.6 cd/A, luminance of
15,230 cd/m2, power efficiency of 13.3 lm/A, and EQE of 16.3 % compared to compounds
with introduction at the para position. This indicated that BF-m-TPA had a higher triplet
energy and a more suitable band diagram with EML compared to BF-p-TPA and BF-2,6-TPA.

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I
O
4
N
H
O
B
O
B
N
N
Pd2(dba)3
O
P(t-Bu)3
Br
Pd(PPh3
O
Br
Br
NaOtBu, toluene
Pd(PPh3
O
)4, CH3COOK
)
4
O
3
O
BF-m-TPA
O
O
B
O
B
O
O
B
O
Br
Br
N
N
NBS
N
,
O
O
1
BF-p-TPA
THF, K2CO3,Pd(PPh3
)
4
I
I2, PIDA, H2SO4
AcOH, Ac2
O
O
O
N
Br
Br
2
O
N
BF-2,6-TPA
Scheme 1. Synthetic procedure of the BF-TPA derivatives

Figure Captions
Figure 1. Calculated HOMO and LUMO distributions of (a) BF-m-TPA, (b) BF-p-TPA and
(c) BF-2,6-TPA.
Figure 2. TGA curves of a) BF-m-TPA, (b) BF-p-TPA and (c) BF-2,6-TPA.
Figure 3. (a) Absorption and (b) photoluminescence spectras of BF-TPA derivatives in
dichloromethane and film.
Figure 4. Device structure and HOMO/LUMO energy levels of the materials used for
OLEDs.
Figure 5. (a) Electroluminescence spectra, (b) voltage-current density-luminance, (c) current
density-luminance efficiency-power efficiency and (d) luminance-EQE of three devices.

Fig. 1.

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

Fig. 5

Table 1. Photophysical and electrochemical properties for BF-TPA derivatives.
Emission
Td
( )b
Et
(eV)c
LUMO
(eV)d
Eg
(eV)e
Absorption
∆λ
QY
(%)a
Eox
(V)
HOMO
(eV)
λmax (nm)
λmax (nm)
(nm)
solutiona film
BF-m-TPA
BF-p-TPA
300
325
403
403
394
410
103
78
38
43
425
441
2.67
2.55
0.91
0.90
5.31
5.30
1.61
1.90
3.70
3.40
BF-2,6-TPA
340
425
430
80
81
396
2.47
0.83
5.23
1.93
3.30
a All data were measured in CH2Cl2 solution
b T is the temperature at 5 % weight loss
cEstimated from the onset of the phosphorescence spectrum.
dLUMO levels were derived via eq. Eg=HOMO - LUMO
e ∆Eg collected by UV-Vis spectrophotometer

Table 2. Device performances based on BF-TPA derivatives
Turn-on
LEmax
PEmax
Lmax
EQE
(%)a
EL
(nm)a
CIE
(x,y)a
voltage(V) (cd/A)a (lm/W)a (cd/m2)a
Device 1
Device 2
8
56.5
28.6
13.3
8.6
15230
10738
16.3
8.4
512
512
0.31, 0.61
0.28, 0.62
7.2
Device 3
6.3
46.5
13.7
10244
13.5
512
0.31, 0.61
aValues indicate maximum efficiency.

Dibenzofuran derivatives with meta- and para-triphenylamine
substituents as hole-transporting materials in organic light-
emitting devices
Seong-Jae Yun, Min Hye Seo, Sungkoo Lee
IT Convergence Materials Group, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Chungnam-do,
331-882, Republic of Korea.
Highlights
- Three hole-transporting materials based on dibenzofuran and triphenylamine were
developed.
- The BF-TPA derivatives were showed highly LUMO energy.
- Green phosphorescent OLEDs using the hole transporting materials were fabricated.
- Green PhOLED with BF-m-TPA had the best result with a maximum LE of 56.5 cd/A.

AUTHORSHIP STATEMENT
Manuscript title: Dibenzofuran derivatives with - and para-triphenylamine substituents as hole-transporting
materials in organic light-emitting devices
All persons who meet authorship criteria are listed as authors, and all authors certify that they have
participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content, including participation in
the concept, design, analysis, writing, or revision of the manuscript. Furthermore, each author certifies that
this material or similar material has not been and will not be submitted to or published in any other
publication before its appearance in the Dye and Pigments.
Authorship contributions
Please indicate the specific contributions made by each author (list the authors’ initials followed by their
surnames, e.g., Y.L. Cheung). The name of each author must appear at least once in each of the three
categories below.
Category 1
Conception and design of study: S-J. Yun, S. Lee;
acquisition of data: S-J. Yun, M.H. Seo;
analysis and/or interpretation of data: S-J. Yun, S. Lee.
Category 2
Drafting the manuscript: S-J. Yun, S. Lee;
revising the manuscript critically for important intellectual content: S. Lee.
Category 3
Approval of the version of the manuscript to be published (the names of all authors must be listed):
S-J. Yun, M.H. Seo, S. Lee.

Declaration of interests
☒ The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships
that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
☐The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered
as potential competing interests: