Organic electroluminescent materials and devices

1. A compound having a formula M(L A ) 2 (L C ):

wherein the ligand L A is

wherein the ligand L C is

wherein M is a metal having an oxidation state of 3 having an atomic number greater than 40;

wherein A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , A 4 , A 5 , A 6 , A 7 , and A 8 are carbon or nitrogen;

wherein exactly one of A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , A 4 , A 5 , A 6 , A 7 , and A 8 is nitrogen;

wherein ring B is bonded to ring A through a C—C bond;

wherein M is bonded to ring A through a M-C bond;

wherein X is selected from the group consisting of O, S, Se, CRR′, and NR 1 ;

wherein R 3 represents mono, or di-substitution, or no substitution;

wherein R 2 represents mono, di, tri, or tetra-substitution, or no substitution;

wherein R 4 represents mono, di, tri, or tetra-substitution;

wherein at least one R 4 is a five-membered or six-membered heterocyclic ring which can be further substituted by R E ;

wherein R E represents mono, di, tri, or tetra-substitution, or no substitution;

wherein each of R, R′, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R X , R Y , R Z and R E are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, deuterium, halide, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, arylalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, silyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heteroalkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, acyl, carbonyl, carboxylic acids, ester, nitrile, isonitrile, sulfanyl, sulfinyl, sulfonyl, phosphino, and combinations thereof;

wherein any adjacent substitutents of R, R′, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R X , R Y , R Z and R E are optionally joined to form a ring; and wherein, when adjacent substituents of R 2 , R 3 , or R 4 form a ring, the ring is a fused aryl or fused heteroaryl ring.

2. The compound of claim 1 , wherein M is selected from the group consisting of Ir, Rh, Re, Ru, Os, Pt, Au, and Cu.

3. The compound of claim 1 , wherein M is Ir.

4. The compound of claim 1 , wherein exactly one of A 5 , A 6 , A 7 , and A 8 is nitrogen, while A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , and A 4 are carbon.

5. The compound of claim 1 , wherein X is O or X is NR 1 .

6. The compound of claim 1 , wherein at least one R 4 is a five-membered or six-membered aromatic heterocyclic ring.

7. The compound of claim 1 , wherein L A is selected from the group consisting of:

8. The compound of claim 1 , wherein L A is selected from the group consisting of:

wherein R A1 to R A4 have the following structures:

R A1 , R A2 , R A3 , and R A4 and wherein R B1 and R B2 have the following structures;

9. The compound of claim 1 , where L A is selected from the group consisting of:

wherein R B1 and R B2 have the following structures:

10. The compound of claim 9 , wherein the compound is selected from the group consisting of Compound 7,633 through Compound 7,644, Compound 7,815 through Compound 7826, Compound 7,997 through Compound 8008, 8,179 through Compound 8,190, Compound 8,361 through 8,372, Compound 8,543 through Compound 8,554, Compound 8,725 through Compound 8,736, Compound 8,907 through Compound 8,918, Compound 9,089 through Compound 9,100, Compound 9,271 through Compound 9,282, Compound 9,453 through Compound 9,464, Compound 9,635 through Compound 9,646, and Compound 9,817 through 9,828, wherein each Compound x has the formula Ir(L Ak ) 2 (L Cj ), wherein x=(182j+k−182)+7,462, k is an integer from 171 to 182, and j is an integer from 1 to 13, and wherein L C1 through L C13 are defined as follows:

11. A device comprising one or more organic light emitting devices, at least one of the one or more organic light emitting devices comprising:

an anode;

a cathode; and

an organic layer, disposed between the anode and the cathode, comprising a compound having a formula M(L A ) 2 (L C ):

wherein the ligand L A is

wherein the ligand L C is

wherein M is a metal having an oxidation state of 3 having an atomic number greater than 40;

wherein A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , A 4 , A 5 , A 6 , A 7 , and A 8 are carbon or nitrogen;

wherein exactly one of A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , A 4 , A 5 , A 6 , A 7 , and A 8 is nitrogen;

wherein ring B is bonded to ring A through a C—C bond;

wherein M is bonded to ring A through a M-C bond;

wherein X is selected from the group consisting of O, S, Se, CRR′, and NR 1 ;

wherein R 3 represents mono, or di-substitution, or no substitution;

wherein R 2 represents mono, di, tri, or tetra-substitution, or no substitution;

wherein R 4 represents mono, di, tri, or tetra-substitution;

wherein at least one R 4 is a five-membered or six-membered heterocyclic ring which can be further substituted by R E ;

wherein R E represents mono, di, tri, or tetra-substitution, or no substitution;

wherein each of R, R′, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R X , R Y , R Z and R E are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, deuterium, halide, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, arylalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, silyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heteroalkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, acyl, carbonyl, carboxylic acids, ester, nitrile, isonitrile, sulfanyl, sulfinyl, sulfonyl, phosphino, and combinations thereof; and

wherein any adjacent substitutents of R, R′, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R X , R Y , R Z and R E are optionally joined to form a ring; and wherein, when adjacent substituents of R 2 , R 3 , or R 4 form a ring, the ring is a fused aryl or fused heteroaryl ring.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the device is selected from the group consisting of a consumer product, an electronic component module, an organic light-emitting device, and a lighting panel.

13. The device of claim 11 , wherein the organic layer is an emissive layer and the compound is an emissive dopant or a non-emissive dopant.

14. The device of claim 11 , wherein the organic layer further comprises a host, wherein the host comprises a triphenylene containing benzo-fused thiophene or benzo-fused furan;

wherein any substituent in the host is an unfused substituent independently selected from the group consisting of C n H 2n+1 , OC n H 2n+1 , OAr 1 , N(C n H 2n+1 ) 2 , N(Ar 1 )(Ar 2 ), CH═CH—C n H 2n+1 , C≡CC n H 2n+1 , Ar 1 , Ar 1 -Ar 2 , and C n H 2n —Ar 1 ;

wherein n is from 1 to 10; and

wherein Ar 1 and Ar 2 are independently selected from the group consisting of benzene, biphenyl, naphthalene, triphenylene, carbazole, and heteroaromatic analogs thereof.

15. The device of claim 11 , wherein the organic layer further comprises a host, wherein the host comprises at least one chemical group selected from the group consisting of triphenylene, carbazole, dibenzothiophene, dibenzofuran, dibenzoselenophene, azatriphenylene, azacarbazole, aza-dibenzothiophene, aza-dibenzofuran, and aza-dibenzoselenophene.

16. The device of claim 11 , wherein the organic layer further comprises a host and the host is selected from the group consisting of:

and combinations thereof.

17. A formulation comprising a compound having a formula M(L A ) 2 (L C ):

wherein the ligand L A is

wherein the ligand L C is

wherein M is a metal having an oxidation state of 3 having an atomic number greater than 40;

wherein A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , A 4 , A 5 , A 6 , A 7 , and A 8 are carbon or nitrogen;

wherein exactly one of A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , A 4 , A 5 , A 6 , A 7 , and A 8 is nitrogen;

wherein ring B is bonded to ring A through a C—C bond;

wherein M is bonded to ring A through a M-C bond;

wherein X is selected from the group consisting of O, S, Se, CRR′, and NR 1 ;

wherein R 3 represents mono, or di-substitution, or no substitution;

wherein R 2 represents mono, di, tri, or tetra-substitution, or no substitution;

wherein R 4 represents mono, di, tri, or tetra-substitution;

wherein at least one R 4 is a five-membered or six-membered heterocyclic ring which can be further substituted by R E ;

wherein R E represents mono, di, tri, or tetra-substitution, or no substitution;

wherein each of R, R′, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R X , R Y , R Z and R E are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, deuterium, halide, alkyl, cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, arylalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, silyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, heteroalkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, acyl, carbonyl, carboxylic acids, ester, nitrile, isonitrile, sulfanyl, sulfinyl, sulfonyl, phosphino, and combinations thereof;

wherein any adjacent substitutents of R, R′, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R X , R Y , R Z and R E are optionally joined to form a ring; and wherein, when adjacent substituents of R 2 , R 3 , or R 4 form a ring, the ring is a fused aryl or fused heteroaryl ring.