Thermally activated delayed fluorescence in a mechanically soft charge-transfer complex: role of the locally excited state

Molecular design for thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) necessitates precise molecular geometric requirements along with definite electronic states to ensure high intersystem crossing (ISC) rate and photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). Achieving all these requirements synchronously while maintaining ease of synthesis and scalability is still challenging. To circumvent this, our strategy of combining a crystal engineering approach with basic molecular quantum mechanical principles appears promising. A holistic, non-covalent approach for achieving efficient TADF in crystalline materials with distinct mechanical properties is highlighted here. Charge transfer (CT) co-crystals of two carbazole-derived donors (ETC and DTBC) with an acceptor (TFDCNB) molecule are elaborated as a proof-of-concept. Using temperature-dependent steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence techniques, we prove the need for a donor-centric triplet state (3LE) to ensure efficient TADF. Such intermediate states guarantee a naturally forbidden, energetically uphill reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) process, which is paramount for effective TADF. A unique single-crystal packing feature with isolated D–A–D trimeric units ensured minimal non-radiative exciton loss, leading to a high PLQY and displaying interesting mechanical plastic bending behaviour. Thus, a comprehensive approach involving a non-covalent strategy to circumvent the conflicting requirements of a small effective singlet–triplet energy offset and a high oscillator strength for efficient TADF emitters is achieved here.