Electroactive materials

1. A compound comprising an N-heterocycle having at least one substituent of Formula I:

wherein:

the N-heterocycle is a fused ring N-heterocycle having at least two fused aromatic rings with at least one ring N;

Q1, Q2, Q4, and Q5 are the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of N and CR 1 ;

Q3 is C—CN;

R 1 is the same or different at each occurrence and is selected from the group consisting of H, D, CN, hydrocarbon aryl, heteroaryl, deuterated hydrocarbon aryl, and deuterated heteroaryl; and

* represents a point of attachment to N in the N-heterocycle;

with the proviso that at least one of Q1, Q2, Q4, and Q5 is N.

2. The compound of claim 1 , wherein the N-heterocycle is selected from the group consisting of carbazole, benzocarbazole, dibenzocarbazole, indolocarbazole, indole, indoloindole, substituted derivatives thereof, and deuterated analogs thereof.

3. The compound of claim 1 , wherein the N-heterocycle is selected from the group consisting of a carbazole having Formula II, a benzocarbazole having Formula II-a, Formula II-b, or Formula II-c, a dibenzocarbazole having Formula II-d, Formula II-e, or Formula II-f, an indole having Formula III-a, and an indoloindole having Formula III-b

wherein:

Ar 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbon aryl, heteroaryl, and deuterated analogs thereof;

R 4 is the same or different at each occurrence and is selected from the group consisting of D, F, CN, alkyl, fluoroalkyl, hydrocarbon aryl, fluoroaryl, heteroaryl, amino, silyl, germyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, fluoroalkoxy, siloxane, siloxy, deuterated alkyl, deuterated partially-fluorinated alkyl, deuterated hydrocarbon aryl, deuterated partially-fluorinated aryl, deuterated heteroaryl, deuterated amino, deuterated silyl, deuterated germyl, deuterated alkoxy, deuterated aryloxy, deuterated fluoroalkoxy, deuterated siloxane, and deuterated siloxy;

a and a1 are the same or different at each occurrence and are an integer from 0 to 4;

c and c1 are the same or different at each occurrence and are an integer from 0-2; and

** represents a point of attachment to the substituent having Formula I;

wherein when a=2, 3, or 4, adjacent R 4 groups are unjoined or joined together to form a fused ring;

wherein when a1=2, 3, or 4, adjacent R 4 groups are unjoined or joined together to form a fused ring;

wherein when c=2, adjacent R 4 groups are unjoined or joined together to form a fused ring.

4. The compound of claim 1 , wherein the N-heterocycle is an indolocarbazole having Formula IV-a, Formula IV-b, Formula IV-c, Formula IV-d, or Formula IV-e

wherein:

Ar 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbon aryl, heteroaryl, and deuterated analogs thereof;

R 4 is the same or different at each occurrence and is selected from the group consisting of D, F, CN, alkyl, fluoroalkyl, hydrocarbon aryl, fluoroaryl, heteroaryl, amino, silyl, germyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, fluoroalkoxy, siloxane, siloxy, deuterated alkyl, deuterated partially-fluorinated alkyl, deuterated hydrocarbon aryl, deuterated partially-fluorinated aryl, deuterated heteroaryl, deuterated amino, deuterated silyl, deuterated germyl, deuterated alkoxy, deuterated aryloxy, deuterated fluoroalkoxy, deuterated siloxane, and deuterated siloxy;

a and a1 are the same or different and are an integer from 0-4;

c is an integer from 0-2; and

** represents a point of attachment to the substituent having Formula I;

wherein when a=2, 3, or 4, adjacent R 4 groups are unjoined or joined together to form a fused ring;

wherein when a1=2, 3, or 4, adjacent R 4 groups are unjoined or joined together to form a fused ring;

wherein when c=2, adjacent R 4 groups are unjoined or joined together to form a fused ring.

5. The compound of claim 1 , wherein at least one of Q1, Q2, Q4, and Q5 is CR 1 where R 1 is H or D.

6. The compound of claim 1 , wherein at least one of Q1, Q2, Q4, and Q5 is CR 1 where R 1 is a hydrocarbon aryl or deuterated analog thereof having 6-24 ring carbons.

7. The compound of claim 1 , wherein at least one of Q1, Q2, Q4, and Q5 is CR 1 where R 1 is a hydrocarbon aryloxy or deuterated hydrocarbon aryloxy group.

8. The compound of claim 1 , wherein the substituent group has Formula IA

wherein:

Q1, and Q5 are the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of N and CR 3 ;

Q3 is C—CN;

R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 are the same or different at each occurrence and are selected from the group consisting of H, D, CN, hydrocarbon aryl, heteroaryl, deuterated hydrocarbon aryl, and deuterated heteroaryl; and

* represents a point of attachment to N in the N-heterocycle;

with the proviso that at least one of Q1 and Q5 is N.

9. The compound of claim 1 , wherein the substituent has Formula IB

wherein:

Q1 is selected from the group consisting of N and CR 3 ;

Q3 is C—CN;

R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 are the same or different at each occurrence and are selected from the group consisting of H, D, CN, hydrocarbon aryl, heteroaryl, deuterated hydrocarbon aryl, and deuterated heteroaryl; and

* represents a point of attachment to N in the N-heterocycle.

10. A composition comprising (a) an electroluminescent material having an emission maximum between 380 and 750 nm, (b) a first host compound according to claim 1 , and (c) a second host compound.

11. An organic electronic device comprising an anode, a cathode, and at least one organic active layer therebetween, wherein the organic active layer comprises a compound according to claim 1 .

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the organic active layer is a photoactive layer.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein the compound according to claim 1 is a first host compound and the photoactive layer further comprises (a) an electroluminescent material having an emission maximum between 380 and 750 nm, and (c) a second host compound.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the second host compound is selected from the group consisting of indolocarbazoles, chrysenes, substituted derivatives thereof, and deuterated analogs thereof.

15. The device of claim 11 , wherein the organic active layer is an electron transport layer.

16. The compound of claim 4 , wherein Ar 1 has Formula a

where:

R 5 is the same or different at each occurrence and is selected from the group consisting of D, alkyl, alkoxy, siloxane, silyl, germyl, diarylamino, carbazolyl, deuterated alkyl, deuterated alkoxy, deuterated siloxane, deuterated silyl, deuterated germyl, deuterated diarylamino, and deuterated carbazolyl, where adjacent R 5 groups can be joined together to form a fused aromatic ring or a deuterated fused aromatic ring;

p is the same or different at each occurrence and is an integer from 0-4;

q is an integer from 0-5;

r is an integer from 1 to 5; and

# indicates a point of attachment.

17. A compound according to claim 1 , selected from the group consisting of Compound I-1 through Compound I-4