Deuterated compounds for organic light-emitting diodes

Abstract

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have been established as a premium display technology for consumer electronics and offer much promise for flexible, large-screen electronics and wearable devices. Despite their commercial success, OLED displays still face major bottlenecks in performance, including limited efficiency, operational lifetime (stability), and efficiency roll-off at high brightness. Deuteration of OLED hosts and emitters is an effective means to address these limitations for fluorescent and phosphorescent systems. Here we describe recent advancements in the development of deuterated organic and organometallic compounds for OLEDs, with a particular focus on their performance benefits, the underlying working mechanisms, and practical challenges associated with their large-scale adoption. This Review surveys recent advances in deuterated compounds for light-emitting devices, addressing the advantages of deuteration, its working mechanisms, and prospects for wider implementation.