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Institute
Spin-spin interactions in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) are pivotal because radiative recombination is largely determined by triplet-to-singlet conversion, also called reverse intersystem crossing (RISC). To explore the underlying process, we apply a spin-resonance spectral hole-burning technique to probe electroluminescence. We find that the triplet exciplex states in OLEDs are highly spin-polarized and show that these states can be decoupled from the heterogeneous nuclear environment as a source of spin dephasing and can even be coherently manipulated on a spin-spin relaxation time scale T-2* of 30 ns. Crucially, we obtain the characteristic triplet exciplex spin-lattice relaxation time T-1 in the range of 50 mu s, which far exceeds the RISC time. We conclude that slow spin relaxation rather than RISC is an efficiency-limiting step for intermolecular donor:acceptor systems. Finding TADF emitters with faster spin relaxation will benefit this type of TADF OLEDs.
Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) utilize molecular systems with a small energy splitting between singlet and triplet states. This can either be realized in intramolecular charge transfer states of molecules with near‐orthogonal donor and acceptor moieties or in intermolecular exciplex states formed between a suitable combination of individual donor and acceptor materials. Here, 4,4′‐(9H,9′H‐[3,3′‐bicarbazole]‐9,9′‐diyl)bis(3‐(trifluoromethyl) benzonitrile) (pCNBCzoCF\(_{3}\)) is investigated, which shows intramolecular TADF but can also form exciplex states in combination with 4,4′,4′′‐tris[phenyl(m‐tolyl)amino]triphenylamine (m‐MTDATA). Orange emitting exciplex‐based OLEDs additionally generate a sky‐blue emission from the intramolecular emitter with an intensity that can be voltage‐controlled. Electroluminescence detected magnetic resonance (ELDMR) is applied to study the thermally activated spin‐dependent triplet to singlet up‐conversion in operating devices. Thereby, intermediate excited states involved in OLED operation can be investigated and the corresponding activation energy for both, intra‐ and intermolecular based TADF can be derived. Furthermore, a lower estimate is given for the extent of the triplet wavefunction to be ≥ 1.2 nm. Photoluminescence detected magnetic resonance (PLDMR) reveals the population of molecular triplets in optically excited thin films. Overall, the findings allow to draw a comprehensive picture of the spin‐dependent emission from intra‐ and intermolecular TADF OLEDs.