Elastomer Doping Strategy for High-efficiency Stretchable Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Polymer Organic Light-emitting Diodes

Zhao Yang; Wen-Kang Shi; Zhi-Hao Shao; Zi-Han Xiong; Yi-Fan Li; Ming-Liang Zhu; Wei Wen; Cheng Li; Long-Bin Ren; Zhi-Yuan Zhao; Yun-Long Guo; Yun-Qi Liu

doi:10.1007/s10118-025-3525-1

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Elastomer Doping Strategy for High-efficiency Stretchable Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Polymer Organic Light-emitting Diodes

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2026-03-26

- Elastomer Doping Strategy for High-efficiency Stretchable Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Polymer Organic Light-emitting Diodes
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Issue 4, Pages: 970-979(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  a.Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
  b.University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Author bio：
  
  zhaozhiyuan@iccas.ac.cn (Z.Y.Z.)
  guoyunlong@iccas.ac.cn (Y.L.G.)
  liuyq@iccas.ac.cn (Y.Q.L.)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-025-3525-1
  CLC：
- Received：29 October 2025，
  
  Revised：2025-11-30，
  
  Accepted：03 December 2025，
  
  Online First：02 February 2026，
  
  Published：05 April 2026
- Accepted：
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Yang, Z.; Shi, W. K.; Shao, Z. H.; Xiong, Z. H.; Li, Y. F.; Zhu, M. L.; Wen, W.; Li, C.; Ren, L. B.; Zhao, Z. Y.; Guo, Y. L.; Liu, Y. Q. Elastomer doping strategy for high-efficiency stretchable thermally activated delayed fluorescence polymer organic light-emitting diodes. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 970–979

Zhao Yang, Wen-Kang Shi, Zhi-Hao Shao, et al. Elastomer Doping Strategy for High-efficiency Stretchable Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Polymer Organic Light-emitting Diodes[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(4): 970-979.
Yang, Z.; Shi, W. K.; Shao, Z. H.; Xiong, Z. H.; Li, Y. F.; Zhu, M. L.; Wen, W.; Li, C.; Ren, L. B.; Zhao, Z. Y.; Guo, Y. L.; Liu, Y. Q. Elastomer doping strategy for high-efficiency stretchable thermally activated delayed fluorescence polymer organic light-emitting diodes. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 970–979 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3525-1.

Zhao Yang, Wen-Kang Shi, Zhi-Hao Shao, et al. Elastomer Doping Strategy for High-efficiency Stretchable Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Polymer Organic Light-emitting Diodes[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(4): 970-979. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3525-1.

摘要

An elastomer-doping strategy enabling flexible thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) polymers with small Δ

(0.12–0.13 eV) and efficient reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) was reported. Film stretchability increased to 75%. PIDC2-based organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) achieved 14.26% external quantum efficiency (EQE)

while stretchable devices maintained 60% efficiency at 25% strain.

Abstract

The increasing demand for flexible displays and wearable electronics has driven extensive efforts to develop stretchable organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). A critical challenge in this field is the creation of emissive layers that combine high efficiency with mechanical robustness. Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials have attracted significant attention as third-generation emitters capable of achieving 100% internal quantum efficiency; however

their application in stretchable OLEDs has been limited. In this study

we propose an elastomer doping strategy. Polyurethane (PU) is incorporated into TADF polymers to improve their mechanical flexibility while maintaining a high luminescent efficiency. The resulting composite films exhibited excellent TADF characteristics and remarkable stretchability (75%). OLEDs fabricated from these materials achieved a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 14.26% and a peak luminance of 73570 cd·m

–2

with the PU-doped devices showing a significantly suppressed efficiency roll-off. Additionally

a fully stretchable OLED architecture was designed and operated under tensile strain to maintain stable electroluminescent performance. These results demonstrate that elastomer doping is an effective strategy for balancing the mechanical compliance with optoelectronic performance

offering a promising pathway for the development of high-performance stretchable O

LEDs for flexible electronics.

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