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Optimizing Interfacial Energetics for Conjugated Polyelectrolyte Electron Injection Layers in High Efficiency and

Iain Hamilton^1,2, Minwon Suh¹, Jim Bailey¹

¹Department of Physics and Centre for Processable Electronics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

|May 18, 2022

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Modifying conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) as electron injection layers (EILs) in polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) requires careful interface energetics. A deep LUMO in CPEs improves device turn-on speed but can reduce efficiency if energy offsets are too large.

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Organic Electronics
Polymer Chemistry

Background:

Conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) are explored as electron injection layers (EILs) in polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs).
Previous modifications to CPE backbone structures yielded inconsistent results regarding PLED device efficiency and response times.
Understanding the energetics at the CPE/light-emitting polymer (LEP) interface is crucial for optimizing PLED performance.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of CPE and LEP backbone structure on interfacial energetics and PLED device performance.
To elucidate the relationship between interfacial properties (energy gap offset, energy level offset, recombination zone) and device efficiency/turn-on characteristics.
To establish molecular design rules for CPEs as EILs in PLEDs.

Keywords:

conjugated polyelectrolytes electron injection layers interfaces polymer light-emitting diodes

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Main Methods:

Systematic variation of conjugated backbone structures for both CPEs and LEPs.
Fabrication and characterization of PLED devices using different CPE/LEP combinations.
Analysis of interfacial energetics, including LUMO levels, optical energy gaps, and recombination zone location.

Main Results:

Type II heterojunction formation at CPE/LEP interfaces leads to luminance quenching and reduced device efficiency.
Increased energy level offset, exacerbated by ionic rearrangement and hole accumulation, worsens efficiency.
A deep LUMO in CPEs is beneficial for achieving fast current and luminance turn-on times.

Conclusions:

Interfacial energetics, particularly energy level offsets, are critical determinants of PLED efficiency.
A deep CPE LUMO is desirable for fast device response, but large energy offsets must be avoided.
Molecular design of CPEs should focus on achieving a deep LUMO for rapid turn-on while minimizing interfacial energy offsets for high efficiency.