High‐Efficiency and Stable Quantum Dot Light‐Emitting Diodes Enabled by a Solution‐Processed Metal‐Doped Nickel Oxide Hole Injection Interfacial Layer

Stabilization is one critical issue that needs to be improved for future application of colloidal quantum dot (QD)-based light-emitting diodes (QLEDs). This study reports highly efficient and stable QLEDs based on solution-processsed, metal-doped nickel oxide films as hole injection layer (HIL). Several kinds of metal dopants (Li, Mg, and Cu) are introduced to improve the hole injection capability of NiO films. The resulting device with Cu:NiO HIL exhibits superior performance compared to the state-of-the-art poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene-sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)-based QLEDs, with a maximum current efficiency and external quantum efficiency of 45.7 cd A−1 and 10.5%, respectively. These are the highest values reported so far for QLEDs with PEDOT:PSS-free normal structure. Meanwhile, the resulting QLED shows a half-life time of 87 h at an initial luminance of 5000 cd m−2, almost fourfold longer than that of the PEDOT:PSS-based device.