Building one-dimensional hole transport channels in cross-linked polymers to enable efficient deep blue QLED

Quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) emerged as very competitive candidates for next generation display and lighting applications. Cross-linked hole transport materials (HTMs) permit the flourish of solution-processed QLEDs. Whereas, unbalanced charge injection and energy level mismatch happened to cross-linked HTMs severely suppress the efficiency of blue QLEDs, which limits the full-color display application. Here, discoid molecules with self-assembly behavior were firstly proposed to construct one-dimensional transport channels in cross-linked hole transport layer (HTL) to advance the carrier transport property of the target composite HTL (CHTL). Compared with CHTLs prepared from amorphous and disordered crystalline discoid molecules, the carrier mobility of CHTL (T5DP36: V-CBP) with one-dimensional transport channels was signally boosted by two orders of magnitude from 6.6 × 10−5 to 2.16 × 10−3 cm2 V−1 s−1. The relevant blue QLED was qualified with notably enhanced external quantum efficiency of 18.16 %, deep blue emission with Commission International de I’Eclaiiage of (0.14, 0.04) and extended T50 lifetime from 177 to 417 h under 100 cd m−2. This is at a cutting edge of deep blue light and eligible for high-end display applications.