Thermally activated delayed fluorescence enhanced by macrocyclization
摘要
Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) depends on reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) from the lowest triplet to the singlet excited state. Here, a macrocyclization strategy is developed to achieve TADF emission by promoting RISC. 5-(9H-carbazol-9-yl) isophthalonitrile, a fluorescent molecule, is coupled with 1,4-dimethoxybenzene by methylene bridges to form a macrocycle with TADF emission. Experimental results and theoretical calculation indicate that the macrocyclization strategy contributes to RISC promotion and suppression of nonradiative decay, resulting in effective TADF emission transformed from prompt fluorescence. Three TADF luminophores are cyclized with the same strategy, and an enhanced TADF emission of up to 3.8 folds is observed. The marriage of macrocycle chemistry and luminescent materials will provide new guidelines for designing efficient TADF materials.