Effect of film thickness controlled by ink‐jet printing method on the optical properties of an electroluminescent polymer

Ink‐jet printing (IJP) represents a highly promising liquid processed polymer deposition method for the film preparation of functional polymers in photo‐electronic devices. In this report, the results on the IJP of a fluorene‐based electroluminescent polymer, poly(9,9‐dihexylfluorene‐alt‐2,5‐dioctyloxybenzene) (PF6OC8), from a piezoelectric droplet generator are presented. The polymer film thickness has been found to show an approximate linear relation with the number of droplets per unit area; it is thus convenient to control the film thickness by the space of printed dots in IJP process. In comparison, spin coating approach is also used to prepare polymer films with different thicknesses by varying solution concentration and spinning speed. However, it is found that spin coating is difficult to control the film thickness quantitatively. The influence of film thickness on the photoluminescence (PL) properties of PF6OC8 films prepared by IJP and spin coating is comparatively investigated. For both ink‐jet printed and spin coated films, the intensity of PL spectra first increases and then decreases with increase in the film thickness, probably due to the exciton quenching in thicker films. When the polymer film thickness is at nanoscale, the major peak in the PL spectrum is the 0–0 vibronic emission at about 420 nm, and with increase in the film thickness, the 0–1 vibronic peak at about 440 nm becomes dominant. The red‐shifted PL spectra with increase in film thickness show the change from the 2D exciton state to the 3D one. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electroluminescence and Photoluminescence of Conjugated Polymer Films Prepared by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition of Naphthalene

Polymer light-emitting devices were fabricated utilizing plasma polymerized thin films as emissive layers. These conjugated polymer films were prepared by RF plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition using naphthalene as monomer. The effect of different applied powers on the chemical structure and optical properties of the conjugated polymers was investigated. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopies confirmed that a conjugated polymer film with a 3-D cross-linked network was developed. By increasing the power, products tended to form as highly cross-linked polymer films. The fabricated devices showed broadband Electroluminescence (EL) emission peaks with center at 535–550 nm. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of plasma polymers showed different excimeric emissions, resulted from crosslinked architecture. As the plasma power increased, the optical properties showed two different domains; up to 200 W, EL, PL and UV–Vis spectra red-shifted and broadened significantly. At higher powers, a reverse behavior was observed. Also, the relation between the film structure and plasma species was investigated using optical emission spectroscopy.     

Effects of annealing treatment on the properties of MEH-PPV/titania hybrids prepared via in situ sol-gel reaction

A uniform poly[2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethylhexyloxy)-p-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV)/titania hybrid film was successfully prepared by an in situ sol-gel reaction of titanium isopropoxide (TIP) in the presence of MEH-PPV/2-chlorophenol solution. The annealing treatment increased the conversion of TIP to titania as determined from evidence of the formation of Ti-O-Ti bonds in the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum. Scanning electronic microscope (SEM) photographs showed that the morphology and distribution of titania in the hybrid film were strongly related to the amount of water in the in situ sol-gel reaction. The thermal stability of MEH-PPV/titania hybrids was enhanced by the annealing treatment. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses indicated that annealing treatment promoted the ordered aggregation of the MEH-PPV chains and crystallization of titania to a certain extent. The blue shift in Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption of pure MEH-PPV after annealing was ascribed to the small extent of decomposition and coil conformation which occurred at high temperature. A more-obvious blue shift for the hybrids was observed, which resulted from irregular aggregation and coil conformation of the MEH-PPV chains induced by heterogeneous point, TIP (titania). The red shift in the photoluminescent (PL) emission for pure MEH-PPV resulted from a certain extent of ordered aggregation after annealing. However, only a slight red shift in the PL emission peak for the hybrids was found due to the hindrance of ordered aggregation of MEH-PPV chains in the presence of TIP (titania).     

Anisotropic optical properties in electroluminescent conjugated polymers based on grazing angle photoluminescence measurements

Grazing angle photoluminescence (GPL) originates from a waveguided light emitted at grazing angle to the substrate due to the total internal reflections, and the light emission is polarized with enhanced intensity at selective mode wavelength. GPL measurements reveal the optical anisotropy of luminescent conjugated polymers, in particular, the alignment of emitting dipoles from which emission occurs, in contrast to spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements that give the anisotropy in the absorption. Based on the GPL emission intensities and spectra, we investigate the anisotropic optical properties in electroluminescent poly(9,9'-di-n-octylfluorene-alt-benzothiadiazole) (F8BT) conjugated polymer thin films of different molecular weights (M(n) = 9-255 kg/mol), both in the pristine and annealed states. The optical anisotropy in F8BT films generally increases with molecular weight, suggesting that higher molecular weight polymers with longer chains are more likely to lie in-plane to the substrate. Upon annealing, high molecular weight F8BT films show even a higher degree of anisotropy, in contrast to low molecular weight F8BT films that become more isotropic. Annealing causes the polymer chains to rearrange and adopt a configuration in which the interchain exciton migration to better ordered low energy (LE) emissive states is strongly suppressed. We observe that the emissive states in F8BT are strongly affected by the local polymer chain arrangement, producing the less ordered high energy (HE) emissive states near the substrate interface where there is a higher degree of chain disorder and the LE states in the bulk of the film. When spin coated onto a quartz substrate precoated with a poly(styrenesulfonate)-doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT:PSS) layer, films of F8BT show severe luminescence quenching near the PEDOT:PSS interface for both the LE and HE emissive states, but a selective quenching of the LE states in the bulk of the film. These observations have important implications for fabricating efficient electronic devices using conjugated polymers as an active material, since the performance of these devices will strongly depend on anisotropic optical properties of electroluminescent conjugated polymers.     

Structure of friction-transferred highly oriented poly(3-hexylthiophene) thin films

Oriented thin films of P3HT were obtained by a friction-transfer technique. The morphology and structure of the film were studied by means of optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Optical microscopy observation indicates that large size well-ordered P3HT thin films can be produced by a friction-transfer technique. Highly ordered lamellae were observed in P3HT friction-transferred films by electron microscopy. Electron diffraction results confirm the existence of high orientation with the a- and c-axes of P3HT crystals aligned in the film plane while the c-axis parallel to the friction-transfer direction. The atomic force microscopy observation of the as-prepared P3HT thin film shows, however, a featureless top surface morphology, indicating the structure inhomogeneity of the obtained film. To get highly oriented P3HT thin films with homogenous structure, high temperature annealing, solvent vapor annealing and self-seeding recrystallization of the friction-transferred film were performed. It is confirmed that solvent vapor annealing and self-seeding recrystallization methods are efficient in improving the surface morphology and structure of the frictiontransferred P3HT thin film. Highly oriented P3HT films with unique structure can be obtained through friction-transfer with subsequent solvent vapor annealing and self-seeding recrystallization.     

Improved optical and electrical properties of sol–gel-derived boron-doped zinc oxide thin films

Sol–gel spin-coating was used to grow zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films doped with 0–2.5 at.% B on quartz substrates. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of the thin films were investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL), ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and van der Pauw Hall-effect measurements. All the thin films had deposited well onto the quartz substrates and exhibited granular morphology. The average crystallite size, lattice constants, residual stress, and lengths of the bonds in the crystal lattice of the thin films were calculated from the XRD data. The PL spectra showed near-band-edge (NBE) and deep-level emissions, and B doping varied the PL properties and increased the efficiency of the NBE emission. The optical transmittance spectra for the undoped ZnO and boron-doped zinc oxide (BZO) thin films show that the optical transmittance of the BZO thin films was significantly higher than that of the undoped ZnO thin films in the visible region of the spectra and that the absorption edge of the BZO thin films was blue-shifted. In addition, doping the ZnO thin films with B significantly varied the absorption coefficient, optical band gap, Urbach energy, refractive index, extinction coefficient, single-oscillator energy, dispersion energy, average oscillator strength, average oscillator wavelength, dielectric constant, and optical conductivity of the BZO thin films. The Hall-effect data suggested that B doping also improved the electrical properties such as the carrier concentration, mobility, and resistivity of the thin films.     

Synthesis and suspension rheology of titania nanoparticles grafted with zwitterionic polymer brushes

Thin films of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and ZnO quantum dots (QDs) were built up as multilayers by spin-coating. The films are characterized by a UV-blocking ability that increases with increasing number of bilayers. Photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra of the thin films occur at 522 nm, which is the PL wavelength of the ZnO QDs dispersion, but with a lower intensity and a quantum yield (QY) less than 1% that of the dispersion. Cross-linking has introduced new features to the absorption spectra in that the absorption peak was absent. These changes were attributed to the morphological and structural changes revealed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. TEM showed that the ZnO particle size in the film increased from 7 (±2.7) nm to 16 (±7.8) upon cross-linking. The FTIR spectra suggest that ZnO QDs are involved in the cross-linking of PDMS and that the surface of the ZnO QDs has been chemically modified.     

Ruptured conjugated polymer thin films formed during spin coating

The formation of ruptured poly[2‐methoxy‐5‐(2′‐ethyl‐hexyloxy)‐1,4‐phenyl vinylene] (MEH–PPV) thin films coated from undried tetrahydrofuran (THF) solutions was investigated. Because of the incompatibility of water and MEH–PPV, the polymer films coated from THF/water solutions showed a ruptured film structure. In the photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the polymer thin films, the ruptured polymer films showed a redshifted emission in comparison with continuous polymer thin films. According to a comparison of the PL spectra of polymer solutions and films, MEH–PPV in THF showed a coil–cylinder transition during precipitation from solution. Because of the incompatibility of water and MEH–PPV, an increase in the water content could increase the ratio of polymer chains in the cylinder conformation, resulting in a redshifted emission for the films. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 79–84, 2006     

Photoluminescence spectral reliance on aggregation order of 1,1-Bis(2'-thienyl)-2,3,4,5-tetraphenylsilole

1,1-Bis(2'-thienyl)-2,3,4,5-tetraphenylsilole (1) was prepared and characterized crystallographically. Silole 1 exhibited aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behavior like other 2,3,4,5-tetraphenylsiloles. Unexpectedly, aggregates formed in water/acetone (6:4 by volume) mixture emitted a blue light that peaked at 474 nm, while aggregates formed in the mixtures with higher water fractions emitted green light that peaked at 500 nm. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that the aggregates formed in the mixture with water fraction of 60% were single crystals, while aggregates that formed in the mixture with water fraction of 90% were irregular and poorly ordered particles. The unusual PL spectral reliance on aggregation order was further confirmed by PL emissions of macroscopic crystal powders and amorphous powders of the silole in the dry state. PL spectral blue shifting was observed upon aging of the poorly ordered aggregates formed in mixtures with water fractions of 70-90%, and they finally exhibited the same blue emission as the crystalline aggregates. The as-deposited thin solid film was amorphous and it could be transformed to a transparent crystalline film upon treatment in the vapor of an ethanol/water (1:1 by volume) mixture, along with PL spectral blue shifting due to changing of aggregation order. It was also found that the crystalline film showed a blue-shifted absorption spectrum relative to the amorphous film and the shift of the absorption edge of the spectra could match that of corresponding PL spectra. The FT-IR spectrum of crystal powders of 1 displayed more vibration modes compared with that of amorphous powders, suggesting the existence of different pi-overlaps or different molecular conformations. The crystals of 1-methyl-1,2,3,4,5-pentaphenylsilole and hexaphenylsilole also showed blue-shifted PL emissions of their amorphous solids, with a comparable PL spectral shift of 1. Developing of a silole solution on a TLC plate readily brought about an amorphous thin layer. Our results suggest that crystalline films of AIE-active siloles are potential emissive layers for efficient blue OLEDs with stable color and long lifetime.     

Polarized optical spectroscopy applied to investigate two poly(phenylene-vinylene) polymers with different side chain structures

Two related poly(phenylene-vinylene) (PPV) light-emitting polymers have been investigated by means of polarized optical spectroscopy. The purpose of the investigation was to investigate the nature of the interactions in thin films and to examine what impact the difference in side chain structure and molecular weight in poly(2'-methoxy-5-2-ethyl-hexoxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene (MEH-PPV) and poly(2-(3',7'-dimethyloctyloxy)-5-methoxy-1,4-phenylene-vinylene) (OC1C10-PPV) has on the electronic and optical properties of the two polymers. Aligning the polymers by dispersing them in anisotropic solvents and stretched films shows that the side chains have an impact on the relative orientations of the transition dipole moments. In anisotropic solvents the linear dichroism is larger for MEH-PPV than for the related polymer OC1C10-PPV, while in stretched films the opposite situation prevails. A lower polarization of the luminescence from OC1C10-PPV, relative to MEH-PPV, was also obtained independent of alignment medium used. The data therefore suggest that while mechanical stretching may align the OC1C10-PPV to a greater degree, the emitting species is distinct from the absorbing species. The circular dichroism (CD) spectra of both polymers undergo dramatic changes when the liquid phase and the solid state (film) are compared. The solution CD spectra shows no evidence of interchain interactions; instead the spectra of both systems indicate a helical conformation of the polymers. The CD spectra of films are dramatically different with the strong Cotton effect being observed. This points to the formation of an aggregate in the film, with an associated ground state interaction, an interchain species such as a physical dimer, or a more complex higher aggregate.     

手性取代聚(对亚苯基亚乙炔基-alt-间亚苯基亚乙炔基)的设计合成及其手性光性能研究

设计合成了两种主链结构相同、但取代方式不同的带有(-)-trans-桃金娘烷氧基手性侧基的规整连接聚(对亚苯基亚乙炔基-altr-间亚苯基亚乙炔基)(Myr-PMPE-1和Myr-PMPE-2),其中Myr-PMPE-1分子中手性取代基在分子链上均匀分布,而Myr-PMPE-2分子中手性取代基的分布则交替地存在局部"拥挤"和局部"松散".利用紫外-可见吸收光谱、荧光光谱和圆二色谱对两种聚合物膜的手性光性能进行了研究.结果表明,退火处理对Myr-PMPE-1膜的UV吸收和荧光光谱以及光学活性的影响都不明显,其最大不对称因子|gmax|为1.62×10-4;而退火处理对Myr-PMPE-2膜影响显著,未经退火处理或退火温度≤100℃时,Myr-PMPE-2膜几乎不显示光学活性,但当退火温度高于120℃时,随着退火温度的升高和退火时间的延长,Myr-PMPE-2膜的UV吸收和荧光光谱均稍有红移,特别是膜的光学活性显著提高,经140℃退火处理4 h后,其|gmax|可达3.07×10-3,比Myr-PMPE-1膜的高出1个数量级.     

蓝色磷光材料FIrpic的发光特性

研究了掺杂浓度及热退火对磷光材料双(4,6-二氟苯基吡啶-N,C2?)吡啶甲酰合铱(FIrpic)发光性能的影响.不同掺杂浓度的薄膜及有机电致发光器件(OELDs)的发光颜色都随FIrpic浓度的增大由蓝色逐渐变化到黄绿色.纯FIrpic薄膜的吸收光谱和光致发光(PL)光谱在440-480nm范围内有明显的光谱重叠,476nm处的发光强度随FIrpic掺杂浓度增大而降低主要是由自吸收效应引起的.测量了不同激发密度下的光致发光光谱和不同掺杂浓度下的电致发光(EL)光谱,发现530nm处的发光强度随激发强度或掺杂浓度的增大而增强,证实了530nm处的发光是来源于FIrpic分子间的激基缔合物发光.通过比较热退火前后薄膜微观形貌及电致发光器件光谱的变化,进一步证实了热退火促进FIrpic分子聚集,增强了FIrpic分子间的辐射跃迁发光.通过调控FIrpic掺杂浓度和优化器件结构,并对器件进行热退火处理得到一系列发光颜色从蓝色逐渐变化到黄绿色的有机电致发光器件.     

Triphenylamine and quinoline-containing polyfluorene for blue light-emitting diodes

A novel blue light-emitting polyfluorene-based copolymer PTHD containing electron-rich triphenylamine and electron-poor phenylquinoline side chains in the C-9 position of fluorene unit is described. By comparison of the solution and thin film photoluminescence (PL) spectra of PTHD, a considerable red-shift of Δλ = 10-15 nm was observed in the thin film PL spectrum. The emission intensity of the shoulder peak appeared in dilute solution was also significantly enhanced in the thin film. In contrast to the reference polymer poly{[9,9-dihexylfluorene]-alt-[9,9-di(2,4-diphenylquinoline)fluorene]}, PTHD exhibits higher HOMO energy level, and higher maximum brightness with the PLED device configuration of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/polymer_70% + PBD_30%/TPBI/LiF/Al.     

Novel conjugated polymer poly(benzobisoxazole-2,6-diylvinylene): synthesis and evidence of aggregate formation in methanesulfonic acid

A new conjugated polymer poly(benzobisoxazole-2,6-diylvinylene) (PBOV) has been synthesized as an analogue of poly(p-phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO). The comparison between PBOV and PBO has been carried out by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, UV, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The UV absorption peaks, PL excitation and emission wavelengths of PBOV have a significant red-shift due to the better electronic delocalization. Similar to PBO, it can be observed in the PL spectra of PBOV at various concentrations in methanesulfonic acid (MSA) that the intensity of emission was depressed and the highly structured emission spectra gradually changed to featureless, red-shifted, and broad spectra with increasing concentration. The change in emission spectra can be attributed to the existence of the interchain aggregates, although PBOV does not show highly ordered structure as PBO does.     

Photoluminescence study of the electronic structure of HfO<Subscript>2</Subscript> films

A method was developed for investigating hafnium dioxide films; this procedure uses a hydrogen-deuterium lamp as a source of photoluminescence (PL) excitation. Photoluminescence in HfO₂ films was investigated. An analysis of the PL spectra of the films showed that they coincided with the spectra described in the literature and recorded using more powerful sources (synchrotron radiation or ArF laser). A comparison of our results with the literature data confirmed that the PL spectra of the films weakly depended on the type of the substrate used for the synthesis. The PL band intensity depends on the synthetic conditions and the annealing temperature. We analyzed the PL and excitation spectra and revealed an emission band at an energy E ～ 4 eV with a narrow excitation maximum at E _max ? 4.25 eV, which was assigned to the vibronic resonance transition A ²Σ⁺ ? X ²Π_i in the OH_?* excited radical. Water was detected in the PL spectra of the HfO₂ films; it is trapped as an impurity after thermal decomposition of Hf(dpm)₄ in the course of film growth. The detection of water in the PL spectra of these films provides new insight into the problem of the effect of this impurity on the leakage currents and the importance of control over its content in the films.     

Solvent vapor annealing of block copolymer thin films: removal of processing history

The ordering processes of PS-b-P2VP block copolymer thin films with different processing histories were studied during solvent vapor annealing by in situ grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS). We compared cylinder-forming PS-b-P2VP thin films with 34 kg/mol molecular weight that were prepared in three different ways: spin coating, spin coating and subsequent solvent vapor annealing where the solvent vapor was removed instantaneously, and spin coating and subsequent solvent vapor annealing where the solvent vapor was removed slowly. Block copolymer thin films retained the morphology resulting from the different “processing histories” at smaller swelling ratios. This processing history was erased when the samples reached a higher swelling ratio (~1.4). After the solvent was slowly removed from the swollen film, the surface morphology was characterized by ex situ AFM. All samples showed the same morphology after solvent annealing regardless of the initial morphology, indicating the morphology of solvent annealed samples is determined by the polymer concentration in the swollen film and the solvent vapor removal rate, but not the processing history.     

LB技术组装聚合物／有机染料多层膜的光致发光和电致发光

半导体超晶格材料由于其特殊的光电性质引起人们的关注,So和Tokito等人用分子束沉积的方式制备了有机及有机无机复合的超晶格材料器件,但分子沉积中有机小分子染料的结晶影响薄膜的质量及器件的寿命。最近,我们用两亲性聚合物分子成功地将有机染料分子组装在聚合物LB膜中,有效地限制有机小分子染料结晶,实验证明此多层LB膜具有超晶格结构和较好的稳定性及发光特性。为制备多量子阱结构器件提供了一种新方法。 两亲性聚合物(ES)是由环氧氯丙烷、乙二胺和硬脂酸共聚而成。将染料分子四苯基丁二烯(TPB)与ES相混合的氯仿溶液(TPB与ES质量比为2:10)分散在去离子水亚相表面,在20mN/m的膜压下将其转移到单晶硅片上。用小角X射线衍射实验观察其多层结构,在小角衍射区存在一个Bragg衍射峰(图1),根据Bragg衍射方程得到其层状周期结构为5.8nm。考虑到ES的分子尺寸,我们认为每一周期结构是由两层聚合物的LB膜组成。由于TPB分子是疏水的,通过分子间的相互作用,TPB分子可能镶嵌或吸附在ES的疏水脂肪链中,与无机半导体超晶格结构对照,聚合物ES的亲水网络由于是绝缘材料,带隙很宽相当于能垒,而镶嵌有TPB的疏水层则相当于势阱,这就很可能形成聚合物/有机染料的超晶格结构。考察其发光特性(图2)时,发现聚合物/有机染     

Annealing-free high-mobility diketopyrrolopyrrole-quaterthiophene copolymer for solution-processed organic thin film transistors

A donor-acceptor polymer semiconductor, PDQT, comprising diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) and β-unsubstituted quaterthiophene (QT) for organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) is reported. This polymer forms ordered layer-by-layer lamellar packing with an edge-on orientation in thin films even without thermal annealing. The strong intermolecular interactions arising from the fused aromatic DPP moiety and the DPP-QT donor-acceptor interaction facilitate the spontaneous self-assembly of the polymer chains into close proximity and form a large π-π overlap, which are favorable for intermolecular charge hopping. The well-interconnected crystalline grains form efficient intergranular charge transport pathways. The desirable chemical, electronic, and morphological structures of PDQT bring about high hole mobility of up to 0.97 cm(2)/(V·s) in OTFTs with polymer thin films annealed at a mild temperature of 100 °C and similarly high mobility of 0.89 cm(2)/(V·s) for polymer thin films even without thermal annealing.     

NaGdF4:Eu3+/AAO薄膜的制备与表征

采用水热法在多孔阳极氧化铝(AAO)模板上制备了NaGdF<,4>:Eu<'3+>(摩尔分数5.0%)/AAO薄膜,并研究了制备方法、溶液浓度和退火温度对薄膜样品形貌、结构和发光性质的影响.XRD结果表明,在低于500 ℃退火,得到具有NaGdF<,4>六方相结构的NaGdF<,4>:Eu<'3+>/AAO薄膜;而在5...