The discovery and utilization of metal-free organic emitters with thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) is a huge breakthrough toward high-performance and low-cost organic light-emitting diodes. Time-dependent second-order perturbation theory including spin−orbit and nonadiabatic couplings, combined with time-dependent density functional theory, is employed to reveal the nature of highly efficient TADF in pure organic emitters. Our results demonstrate that except energy gaps between the lowest singlet (S 1 ) and triplet (T 1 ) excited states the nonadiabatic effect between low-lying excited states should play a key role in the T 1 → S 1 upconversion for TADF emitters, especially donor−acceptor−donor (D−A−D) molecules. We not only clarify the reason why D−A−D molecules with large S 1 −T 1 energy gaps show efficient TADF but also explain the experimental observation that D−A−D-type compounds with S 1 −T 1 gaps close to those of their D−A-shape counterparts display more efficient T 1 → S 1 upconversion.

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We have carried out nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations combined with time-dependent density functional theory calculations to compare the properties of the two-dimensional (2D) (BA) 2 (MA)Pb 2 I 7 and three-dimensional (3D) MAPbI 3 (where MA = methylammonium and BA = butylammonium) materials. We evaluate the different impacts that the 2D-confined spacer layer of butylammonium cations and the 3D-confined methylammonium cations have on the charge carrier dynamics in the two systems. Our results indicate that, while both the MA + and BA + cations play important roles in determining the carrier dynamics, the BA + cations exhibit stronger nonadiabatic couplings with the 2D perovskite framework. The consequence is a faster hotcarrier decay rate in 2D (BA) 2 (MA)Pb 2 I 7 than in 3D MAPbI 3 . Thus, tuning of the functional groups of the organic spacer cations in order to reduce the vibronic couplings between the cations and the Pb−I framework can offer the opportunity to slow down the hot-carrier relaxations and increase the carrier lifetimes in 2D lead-halide perovskites.

The photophysics of a series of molecular organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) has been studied by theoretical calculation. These molecular OLEDs have been integrated by an electron- and hole-transporting components as well as an emitting components into the donor-pi-acceptor (D-pi-A) structures: 2-carbazolyl-7-dimesitylboryl-9,9-diethylfluorene (1), trans-4'-N-carbazolyl-4-dimesitylborylstilbene (2), and trans-2-[(4'-N-carbazolyl)styryl]-5-dimesitylborylthiophene (3). To reveal the relationship between the structures and properties of these multifunctional electroluminescent materials, the ground- and excited-state geometries were optimized at the B3LYP/6-31G(d), HF/6-31G(d), and CIS/6-31G(d) levels, respectively. The ionization potentials and electron affinities were computed. The mobilities of hole and electron in these compounds were studied computationally based on the Marcus electron transfer theory. The lowest excitation energies (E(g)) and the maximum absorption and emission wavelengths of these compounds were calculated by time-dependent density functional theory methods. The solvent effect on the emission spectra of these compounds was considered by a polarizable continuum model. As a result of these calculations, it was concluded that the electron injections of these compounds are much easier than Mes(2)B[p-4,4'-biphenyl-NPh(1-naphthyl)], and the diethylfluorene-based compound has higher electron mobility and better equilibrium properties as compared to the stilbene-based and styrylthiophene-based compounds.

A series of pentacene derivatives, halogen-substituted and thiophene- and pyridine-substituted, have been studied with a focus on the electronic properties and charge transport properties using density functional theory and classical Marcus charge-transfer theory. The transport properties of holes and electrons have been studied to get insight into the effect of halogenation and heteroatom substitution on transport and injection of charge carriers. The calculation results revealed that fluorination and chlorination can effectively lower the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) level, modulate the hole and electron reorganization energy, improve the stacking mode of the crystal structure, and enhance the ambipolar characteristic. Chlorination gives a better ambipolar characteristic. On the basis of halogen substitution, the substitution of terminal benzene ring of triisopropyl-silylethynyl-pentacene (TIPS-PEN) by a thiophene or pyridine will greatly lower the LUMO level and improve the stacking mode, leading to more suitable ambipolar materials. Hence, both intra- and extra-ring substitution are favorable to enhance the ambipolar transport property of TIPS-PEN.

Ladder-type heterotetracenes possessing fully ring-fused structures are a promising class of optoelectronic materials in terms of the lack of any conformational disorder, intense emission and high carrier mobility. To uncover how dual bridging atoms tune their structural and optoelectronic properties, the heterotetracenes were systematically investigated by theoretical calculations from several aspects, such as (i) the geometrical structures of ground and excited states; (ii) the highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMO), the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMO); (iii) ionization potentials (IP), electron affinities (EA), hole extraction potentials (HEP), electron extraction potentials (EEP), internal reorganization energies (λ(int)) and transfer integrals (V); (iv) the absorption and emission spectra in vacuum and the dichloromethane (CH(2)Cl(2)) solvent, band gaps (E(g)), excitation energies at the lowest singlet (E(S1)) or triplet (E(T1)) states as well as radiative lifetimes (τ). The theoretical investigations may be useful for finding new leading materials and are likely to provide important information for improving their photoelectric performance.

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