Metal complex-based TADF: design, characterization, and lighting devices

The development of novel, efficient and cost-effective emitters for solid-state lighting devices (SSLDs) is ubiquitous to meet the increasingly demanding needs of advanced lighting technologies. In this context, the emergence of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials has stunned the photonics community. In particular, inorganic TADF material-based compounds can be ad hoc engineered by chemical modification of the coordinated ligands and the type of metal centre, allowing control of their ultimate photo-/electroluminescence properties, while providing a viable emitter platform for enhancing the efficiency of state-of-the-art organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs). By presenting an overview of the state of the art of all metal complex-based TADF compounds, this review aims to provide a comprehensive, authoritative and critical reference for their design, characterization and device application, highlighting the advantages and drawbacks for the chemical, photonic and optoelectronic communities involved in this interdisciplinary research field.