Two oligomers with X-shaped repeating units bearing anthracene and fluorene units were synthesized in a facile procedure, and exhibited high photoluminescence efficiencies, thermal stabilities and good solubility. Their ease of processing enabled spin coating with an electron-transporting bitriazine layer to afford organic light-emitting diodes which displayed a light blue emission with the maximum luminance of 3650 cd/m(2) and the current efficiency of 0.69 cd/A at an operation voltage of 10 V. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.