Stretchable and Self-Healing Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Polymer via Dynamic Hydrogen Bond Engineering for Durable Flexible OLEDs

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Authors: Caixia Yang, Wenzhong Bian, Shun Hu, Youqiang Qian, Mengting Li, Junyi Chen, Shuang Chen, Wenli Shi, Jiangqi Jiang, Hai Zhou, Xinxin Ban
Cited by: 3
References: 55

Abstract

The development of intrinsically stretchable and self-healing electroluminescent materials has remained a critical challenge for next-generation skin-like displays and biointegrated optoelectronics. Here, we report the first dynamic bond-engineered thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) polyurethane (PUCN-x) that combines practical stretchability, high efficiency, and a robust self-healing capability. By integrating a TADF emitter into a segmented polyurethane backbone synthesized with isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and tunable polyalcohol soft segments, we achieve simultaneous control over the chain mobility and chromophore stacking. The resulting material exhibits exceptional functional recovery─after being subjected to stretching, bending, or scratch damage─and the polymer consistently maintains high electroluminescent performance. It demonstrates efficient self-healing under mild conditions (50 °C) without compromising luminescence, achieving a peak external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 13.3%. Optimized PUCN-1 retains over 85% of its original EQE after multiple damage-healing cycles, highlighting outstanding operational resilience. This work establishes a versatile molecular design strategy for durable, high-performance TADF elastomers, paving the way toward reliable, flexible displays and lighting technologies.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Polymer composites and self-healing Advanced Materials and Mechanics Hydrogels: synthesis properties applications

Publication details

Journal / source
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Volume
18
Issue
16
Pages
23424–23440
Publication date
20 April 2026
Language
EN