An organic light emitting device having an anode, a cathode and an organic layer between the anode and the cathode is provided. The organic layer comprises a carbene-metal complex having the structure:
where R may be halo, hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aralkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, substituted aryl, substituted heteroaryl, or a heterocyclic group; and additionally or alternatively, two or more R groups on the same ring form independently a 5 or 6-member cyclic group, which may be cycloalkyl, cycloheteroalkyl, aryl or heteroaryl; and which may be substituted by one or more substituents J; and J may be R′, CN, CF3, C(O)OR′, C(O)R′, C(O)NR′2, NR′2, NO2, OR′, SR′, SO2, SOR′, or SO3R′, and additionally or alternatively, two J groups on adjacent ring atoms form a fused 5- or 6-membered aromatic group; each R′ may be halo, H, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, heteroalkyl, aralkyl, aryl and heteroaryl.