Triplet exciton diffusion in fac-tris(2-phenylpyridine) iridium(III)-cored electroluminescent dendrimers

We have studied triplet-triplet annihilation in neat films of electrophosphorescent fac-tris(2-phenylpyridine) iridium(III) [Ir(ppy)(3)]-cored dendrimers containing phenylene- and carbazole-based dendrons with 2-ethylhexyloxy surface groups using time-resolved photoluminescence. From measured annihilation rates, the limiting current densities above which annihilation would dominate in dendrimer light-emitting devices are found to be > 1 A/cm(2). The triplet exciton diffusion length varies in the range of 2-10 nm depending on the dendron size. The distance dependence of the nearest-neighbor hopping rate shows that energy transfer is dominated by the exchange mechanism. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.