This GOALI award by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program in the Division of Chemistry, the Solid State Chemistry program in the Division of Materials Research and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities in the Directorate of Mathematics and Physical Sciences supports research by a collaborative academic/industrial group headed by Professor Richard Eisenberg at the University of Rochester and the Eastman Kodak Company to study the luminescence of heavy metal complexes and their incorporation as emitters into OLED devices. Dopant emitters are used in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) materials to make them more efficient and versatile for display applications. Luminescent heavy-metal complexes emit light through triplet excited states (exicitons) providing a route for higher efficiency than organic polymeric materials alone. Several classes of metal complexes including square planar iridium and platinum systems and polynuclear metal complexes will be prepared and their photophysical properties tuned through variations in their ligands. The emission quantum yields and lifetimes of these complexes will be studied in rigid media. Computational studies will suggest trends to support and direct the experimental work. Complexes with metal centered excited states include Au(I) and Cu(I) complexes as well as face-to-face square planar systems. New complexes will be examined by incorporation into prototype OLED devices and assayed for photoluminescence and stability under operating conditions. Selected dopant emitters will be investigated as to their excitation mechanisms and the factors limiting their efficiency in order to identify molecular property alterations that improve performance in OLED displays.
This academic-industrial partnership will also involve a reciprocal seminar series in which personnel from the University of Rochester will present seminars at the Kodak Research Laboratories and industrial personnel will present their work at the University of Rochester. These researchers will also develop a demonstration and teaching unit on photochemistry and display devices for presentation to elementary and secondary schools. The unit will also be shared with the Rochester Museum and Science Center for public presentations. In collaboration with the Rochester Section of the American Chemical Society, a pilot program for an Industrial Mentor Partnership will be initiated in which undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Rochester will have a industrial mentor at the Kodak Company.
New metal complexes will be studied to improve the efficiency of materials used as light emitting displays in electronic devices. Educational opportunities for students in an industrial setting are involved and educational demonstration units will be provided to local schools and museums.
