Progress and perspective of polymer white light-emitting devices and materials

Within organic optoelectronics, polymer light-emitting devices (PLEDs) are regarded as an important class of devices which can convert electricity into light as a result of radiative decay taking place in semiconducting polymers. Recently, much effort has been devoted to developing efficient white emitting PLEDs for their potential applications in next-generation flat-panel displays and solid-state lighting sources. In this tutorial review, we will summarize the advances in white emitting polymers and devices published up till April 2009 by major prestigious institutions in this field. Special attention is paid to the recent progress in highly efficient devices realized by doping an electrophosphorescent guest into a polymer host and other approaches. Also we will summarize the new strategies to realize white emission with simultaneous fluorescent and/or phosphorescent emission from a single polymer in which singlet and/or triplet chromophores are incorporated into the polymer side or main chain through a covalent bond. © 2009The Royal Society of Chemistry.