Multicoloured chromophore for white-light-emitting diodes

Light-emitting diodes that emit white light require active materials that are able to emit throughout the entire visible spectrum. A simple approach is reported here, based on host-guest systems in which the guest is a single chromophore and the host a polymer blend. It is demonstrated that the emission of the chromophore may depend strongly on the choice of the matrix polymer. The absorption, photoluminescence, and electroluminescence spectra of the chromophore PSA in matrices of polynorbornene, Durel (a polyarylate), polyvinylpyridine, and blends are presented.