Citation: Zijian Zhang, Fangxin Du, Lijia Liu, Yixiang Sun, Jie Xue, Hanshen Xin. 1-Azaazulene constructs: Overcoming the weak fluorescence of azulene derivatives via S₁-S₀ transitions[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(6): 111987. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111987 shu

1-Azaazulene constructs: Overcoming the weak fluorescence of azulene derivatives via S₁-S₀ transitions

School of Microelectronics, Shanghai Engineering Research Center for Integrated Circuits and Advanced Display Materials, Shanghai University, Shanghai 201800, China

xuejie@shu.edu.cn

inhanshen@shu.edu.cn

Received Date: 3 June 2025
Revised Date: 14 October 2025
Accepted Date: 20 October 2025
Available Online: 21 October 2025

Figures(6)

Azulene derivatives are promising for optoelectronics but suffer from weak fluorescence due to anti-Kasha behavior. This study designed and synthesized four asymmetric 1-azaazulene-based BF₂ complexes (Ph-NN, Ph-ON, Ca-NN, Py-NN) to explore their optoelectronic potential. Unlike azulene derivatives, which predominantly exhibit S₂→S₀ emission, 1-azaazulene constructs demonstrate effective S₁-S₀ transitions, resulting in enhanced fluorescence. Py-NN, incorporating a pyrrole group, achieved a remarkable photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 19.3% at 560 nm, attributed to enhanced HOMO-LUMO orbital overlap with an oscillator strength (f) of 0.4973, resulting in a high radiative rate (k_r = 9.51 × 10⁷ s⁻¹) and suppressed non-radiative decay (k_nr = 0.40 × 10⁹ s⁻¹). OLEDs employing Py-NN as an emitter exhibited orange electroluminescence at 565 nm with a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 3.0%. The results demonstrate that 1-azaazulene can serve as a versatile platform for developing efficient fluorescent materials with applications in optoelectronics.
- Azulene,
- 1-Azaazulene,
- Photophysical properties,
- Boron difluoride complexes,
- Organic light-emitting diode
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1-Azaazulene constructs: Overcoming the weak fluorescence of azulene derivatives via S1-S0 transitions

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通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com

1-Azaazulene constructs: Overcoming the weak fluorescence of azulene derivatives via S₁-S₀ transitions