A benzothiazole derivative (BT) with a high fluorescence quantum yield (phi
(f) = 0.92) was synthesized and first used as a dopant in a blue organic e
lectroluminescent device. TPD is N,N ' -bis(3-methylphenyl)-N,N ' -diphenyl
-1,1 ' -biphenyl-4,4 ' -diamine and was used as a hole-transporting materia
l; DPBI is a dimer of N-arylbenzimidazole and was used as an electron-trans
porting material as well as the host for the blue-emitting dopant, BT. A de
vice with a structure of ITO/TPD/DPBI-2% BT/DPBI/Mg-Ag was fabricated. The
devices showed electroluminescence with an emission peak around 475 mn. A l
uminance of 1260 cd m(-2) was achieved at a current density of 400 mA cm(-2
). The current efficiency of this device is about 0.50 cd A(-1) at 5 V. (C)
2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.