Low-Turn-On-Voltage, High-Brightness, and Deep-Red Light-Emitting Electrochemical Cell Based on a New Blend of [Ru(bpy)3]2+ and Zn–Diphenylcarbazone

Deep red light-emitting electrochemical cells were prepared based on a blend of [Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ , a cationic complex, and a neutral Zn(II)-complex based on diphenylcarbazone ligands, named Zn(DPCO). The crystal structure of the Zn(DPCO) 2 (bpy)] molecule revealed that the DPCO ligand has been deprotonated to form DPCO - and coordinated to the Zn center metal through the C=O and N=N moieties of DPCO. From the cyclic voltammetry results and controlled potential coulometry data of the diphenylcarbazide (DPC) ligand, it is possible to establish that DPC is oxidized in an irreversible process at +0.77 V, giving DPCO and later oxidized at a higher potential (+1.32 V) to produce diphenylcarbadiazone (DPCDO). A detailed assignment of UV-vis spectra futures to determine the origin of ground- and excited-state transitions was achieved by time-dependent density functional theory calculations, which showed good agreement with the experimental results. Using a simple device architecture, we obtained deep red electroluminescence (EL) with high brightness (740 cd m -2 ) and luminous efficiency of 0.39 cd/A at a low turn-on voltage of 2.5 V. The favorable configuration of the cell consists of only a blend of complexes of indium tin oxide as the anode electrode and molten alloy cathode (Ga/In) without any polymer as the transporting layer. The comparison between [Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ and [Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ /Zn(DPCO) demonstrates a red shift in the EL wavelength from 625 to 700 nm in the presence of Zn(DPCO), revealing the importance of using blends for future systems.