Photoluminescent mechanism of a proton-transfer laser dye in highly doped polymer films

Photoluminescent properties in thin films of the proton-transfer laser dye, 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole (HBT) were investigated, when it was doped into hole-transport polymer, poly(N-vinylcarbazole) and when it was codoped with hole-transport small molecule, N,N′-di(m-tolyl)-N,N′-diphenylbenzidine (TPD) into polystyrene. The more the doping concentration of HBT was raised up to about 40 wt%, the more its photoluminescent intensity was enhanced without showing excimer or exciplex emissions. The mechanism for such phenomena was discussed in connection with the excited-state intramolecular proton-transfer reaction of HBT.