Structural,morphological and optical properties of PEDOT:PSS/QDs nano-composite films prepared by spin-casting

This paper describes the structural, morphological and optical properties of the nano-composite of poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) and quantum dots (QDs). The ZnSe and CdSe QDs have been synthesized, with the aid of Mercaptoacetic acid (MAA), by a colloidal method with an average size of ~5 to 7 nm. QDs have been embedded in PEDOT:PSS using a simple solution processing approach and has been deposited as thin films by spin coating technique. The QDs embedded PEDOT:PSS enhances the light absorption spectra of samples, prominently in terms of absorption intensity which may consequently improve sensitivity of the optoelectronic devices.     

Effect of dimethyl sulfoxide on the electrical properties of PEDOT:PSS/n-Si heterojunction diodes

Effect of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on the electrical properties of PEDOT:PSS/n-Si heterojunction diodes has been studied. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) was deposited on n-type Si wafer using facile process of spin coating. The DMSO content was varied from 0 to 8 vol%. Electrical characterization of these heterojunction diodes as performed using both current–voltage (I–V) and capacitance–voltage (C–V) measurements. All diodes showed rectifying behavior. AFM measurement revealed that the surface became more rough after the DMSO treatment of PEDOT:PSS films. The RMS values were found in the range of 4–6 nm. The resistivity of the PEDOT:PSS films decreased with increase in temperature. The addition of DMSO into PEDOT:PSS solution results in a decrease in resistivity of films by approximately two orders of magnitude. PEDOT:PSS films showed high transmission more than 85% in the entire visible region. Raman spectroscopy indicated effect of the DMSO treatment on the chemical structure of PEDOT chains, suggesting a conformational change of PEDOT chain in the film. An optimal value of DMSO was obtained with 5 vol% content, and it showed the best PEDOT:PSS films properties and good quality heterojunction diodes characteristics with ideality factor of 2.4 and barrier height 0.80 eV.     

Metal-electrode-free inverted organic photovoltaics using electrospray-deposited PEDOT:PSS and spin-coated HAT-CN exciton blocking layer

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) films were fabricated using an electrospray deposition (ESD) method. The ESD PEDOT:PSS films exhibited higher PSS content on the surface than spin-coated PEDOT:PSS films, which results in a higher work function. Based on this result, metal-electrode-free inverted organic photovoltaics (OPVs) were fabricated. The ESD PEDOT:PSS was used as the top electrode on the poly(3-hexythiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT):[6,6]-phenyl C₆₁ butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) light-absorbing layer. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of OPVs was significantly increased with the 1,4,5,8,9,11-hexaazatriphenylene hexacarbonitrile layer. The improved PCE would be attributed to the suppression of exciton quenching at the P3HT:PCBM and PEDOT:PSS interface.     

Facile fabrication of highly flexible,porous PEDOT: PSS/SWCNTs films for thermoelectric applications

High-performance organic composite thermoelectric(TE)materials are considered as a promising alternative for harvesting heat energy.Herein,composite films of poly(3,4-ethyienedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate)/single-walled carbon nanotubes(PEDOT:PSS/SWCNTs)were fabricated by utilizing a convenient solution mixing method.Thereafter,the as-prepared hybrid films were treated using sulfuric acid(H₂SO₄)to further optimize the TE performance.Film morphological studies revealed that the sulfuric acid treated PEDOT:PSS/SWCNTs composite samples all possessed porous structures.Due to the successful fabrication of highly conductive networks,the porous nano-architecture also exhibited much more excellent TE properties when compared with the dense structure of the pristine samples.For the post-treated sample,a high power factor of 156.43μW·m^-1·K^-2can be achieved by adjusting the content of CNTs,which is approximately 3 orders of magnitude higher than that of the corresponding untreated samples(0.23μW·m^-1·K^-2).Besides,the obtained films also showed excellent mechanical flexibility,owing to the porous nanostructure and the strong p–p interactions between the two components.This work indicates that the H₂SO₄ treatment could be a promising strategy for fabricating highly-flexible and porous PEDOT:PSS/SWCNTs films with high TE performances.     

Modulating the Electrochromic Performances of Transmissive and Reflective Devices Using N,N-Dimethyl Formamide Modified Poly(3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene)/Poly(Styrene Sulfonate) Blend as Active Layers

As one of the important factors which affect the properties and applications of conducting polymers, the electrical conductivity of a poly(3,4-ethylenedoxy-thiophene)/ poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) blend was adjusted by using various amount of an organic solvent (N,N-dimethyl formamide, DMF) as an additive. The conductivities of PEDOT: PSS thin films can be increased dramatically, from 1.0 S to 32.1 S cm^?1, with a 2/1 volume ratio of PEDOT: PSS/DMF loading after totally removing the organic solvent by annealing the film at 80° for 48 h in a vacuum oven. The optical contrasts of transmissive and reflective devices assembled using DMF-modified PEDOT: PSS as active layers exhibited a close relationship with the conductivity of PEDOT: PSS. Interestingly, high conductivity of PEDOT: PSS enhanced the contrast of a transmissive device, while high conductivity of PEDOT: PSS decreased the contrasts of a reflective device. The underlying reason is related to the different electrochromic mechanisms of these two types of device configurations.     

Enhanced thermoelectric performance of PEDOT: PSS films via ionic liquid post-treatment

Thermoelectric(TE)energy harvesting can effectively convert waste heat into electricity,which is a crucial technology to solve energy concerns.As a promising candidate for energy conversion,poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate)(PEDOT:PSS)has gained significant attention owing to its easy doping,high transparency,and solution processability.However,the TE performance of PEDOT:PSS still needs to be further enhanced.Herein,different approaches have been applied for tuning the TE properties:(i)direct dipping PEDOT:PSS thin films in ionic liquid;(ii)post-treatment of the films with concentrated sulfuric acid(H₂SO₄),and then dipping in ionic liquid.Besides,the same bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide(TFSI)anion and different cation salts,including 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium(EMIM+)and lithium(Li+),are selected to study the influence of varying cation types on the TE properties of PEDOT:PSS.The Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity of the PEDOT:PSS film treated with H2SO4EMIM:TFSI increase simultaneously,and the resulting maximum power factor is 46.7μW·m^-1·K^-2,which may be attributed to the ionic liquid facilitating the rearrangement of the molecular chain of PEDOT.The work provides a reference for the development of organic films with high TE properties.     

Improvement in performance of organic light-emitting devices by inclusion of multi-wall carbon nanotubes

Poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) was modified by different concentrations of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), and the nanocomposites of PEDOT:PSS and MWNTs were firstly used as hole-injection layer in fabrication of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) by using a double-layer structure with hole-injection layer of doped PEDOT:PSS and emitting/electron transport layer of tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato) aluminum (Alq₃). PEDOT:PSS solution doped with MWNTs was spin-coated on clean polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate with indium tin oxide (ITO). It was found that the electroluminescence (EL) intensity of the OLEDs were greatly improved by using PEDOT:PSS doped with MWNTs as hole-injection layer which might have resulted from the hole-injection ability improvement of the nanocomposites. Higher luminescence intensity and lower turn-on voltage were obtained by these devices and the luminance intensity obtained from the device with the hole-injection layer of PEDOT:PSS doped by 0.4 wt.% MWNTs was almost threefolds of that without doping.     

In-situ characterization of electrochromism based on ITO/PEDOT:PSS towards preparation of high performance device

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)(PEDOT:PSS) is usually sandwiched between indium tin oxide(ITO) and a functional polymer in order to improve the performance of the device. However, because of the strong acidic nature of PEDOT:PSS, the instability of the ITO/PEDOT:PSS interface is also observed. The mechanism of degradation of the device remains is unclear and needs to be further studied. In this article, we investigate the in-situ electrochromism of PEDOT:PSS to disclose the cause of the degradation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) was used to characterize the PEDOT:PSS films, as well as the PEDOT:PSS plus polyethylene glycol(PEG) films with and without indium ions. The electrochromic devices(ECD) based on PEDOT:PSS and PEG with and without indium ions are carried out by in-situ micro-Raman and laser reflective measurement(LRM). For comparison, ECD based on PEDOT:PSS and PEG films with LiCl, KCl, NaCl or InCl_3 are also investigated by LRM. The results show that PEDOT:PSS is further reduced when negatively biased, and oxidized when positively biased. This could identify that PEDOT:PSS with indium ions from PEDOT:PSS etching ITO will lose dopants when negatively biased. The LRM shows that the device with indium ions has a stronger effect on the reduction property of PEDOT:PSS-PEG film than the device without indium ions. The contrast of the former device is 44%, that of the latter device is about 3%. The LRM also shows that the contrasts of the device based on PEDOT:PSS+PEG with LiCl, KCl, NaCl, InCl_3 are 30%, 27%, 15%, and 18%, respectively.     

Effect of sorbitol doping in PEDOT:PSS on the electrical performance of organic photovoltaic devices

Organic photovoltaic cells have important advantages, such as low cost and mechanical flexibility. The conducting polymer poly(3,4 ethylenedioxy-thiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) has been widely used as an interfacial layer or a polymer electrode in polymer electronic devices, such as photovoltaic devices and light-emitting diodes. In this report, we discuss the direct current (DC) conductivity of PEDOT:PSS films containing various weight ratios of sorbitol dopant. The work function is shown to steadily decrease with increasing dopant content. With different dopant contents, illuminated current–voltage photovoltaic characteristics were observed. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) analysis revealed that the work function of the PEDOT:PSS was affected by its sorbitol content. The morphologies of the doped PEDOT:PSS films were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). For the device fabrication, we made organic photovoltaic cells by a spin-coating process and Al deposition by thermal evaporation. The sorbitol dopant is able to improve the efficiency of the device.     

Characterization of the PEDOT:PSS/KDP mixture on a flexible substrates and the use in pressure sensing devices

In this work, the mixture poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) with monobasic potassium phosphate (KDP), a piezoelectric salt, was studied as a novel material in the fabrication of a low cost, easy-to-make, flexible pressure sensing device. Firstly a theoretical study was carried out, followed by an experimental study where the mixture PEDOT:PSS and KDP was deposited in a flexible polyester substrate and dried. Afterwards, XRD analysis and impulse voltage measures were performed. The results showed that the KDP does not react chemically with PEDOT:PSS and this mixture acts directly responding to the pressure applied on the sample.     

稀释溶剂对PEDOT：PSS薄膜和有机太阳能电池性能的影响

采用喷涂技术制备聚3,4-乙撑二氧噻吩：聚苯乙烯磺酸盐（PEDOT：PSS）有机层薄膜,系统研究了乙醇、去离子水、甲醇、异丙醇和乙二醇等稀释溶剂对PEDOT：PSS薄膜形貌、透过率及导电性能的影响。将PEDOT：PSS薄膜应用于有机太阳能电池器件的制备,研究了不同溶剂对器件性能的影响。实验结果表明：采用乙醇稀释PEDOT：PSS溶液,能有效抑制PEDOT：PSS颗粒团聚,降低薄膜粗糙度,提高薄膜的透过率和导电性。以其制备的太阳能电池器件的能量转换效率明显高于其他溶剂稀释,转换效率为2.66%。     

Optical and electroluminescent properties of a number of new derivatives of divinyl dibenzothiophene sulfone

Photoluminescent and electroluminescent properties of four new bipolar linear derivatives of divinyl dibenzothiophene sulfone are studied. It is found that amorphous films of solutions, as well as films of the compounds under study in the poly(N-vinylcarbazole) matrix, have a rather high quantum yield of photoluminescence in the blue and blue-green spectrum regions. Bright blue electroluminescence is obtained in the samples with a structure of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/TPD/OC/LiF/Al using vacuum deposition of the compounds under study and in the single-layer ITO/PEDOT:PSS/PVK:OC/LiF/Al structure when applied from the solution with a threshold voltage of 2.5–3.5 V. The influence of a molecule structure on the spectra and quantum yield of fluorescence as well as on the electroluminescent properties of the compounds is shown. Results of quantum-chemical calculations in the context of the density functional theory of the structure and characteristics of main molecular orbitals are presented.     

基于石墨烯/PEDOT：PSS叠层薄膜的柔性OLED器件

石墨烯具有独特的电学性能、优异的机械延展性和良好的化学稳定性,是制备高性能导电薄膜的理想材料,但是当前石墨烯的高电阻率限制了它的实际应用。本文采用喷涂方法制备了石墨烯/聚（3,4-亚乙二氧基噻吩）-聚（苯乙烯磺酸）（PEDOT：PSS）复合导电薄膜,对复合薄膜的表面形貌与光电性能进行了研究。PEDOT：PSS的引入不仅降低了石墨烯薄膜的表面电阻,同时还平滑了薄膜表面。在此基础上,成功制备了柔性黄光有机电致发光器件,器件在12 V时达到效率最大值0.9 cd/A。器件在曲率半径为10 mm时弯曲了100次后,发光亮度并无明显变化。该复合薄膜可实际应用于柔性有机电致发光显示器件。     

Resonant infrared laser deposition of polymer-nanocomposite materials for optoelectronic applications

Polymers find a number of potentially useful applications in optoelectronic devices. These include both active layers, such as light-emitting polymers and hole-transport layers, and passive layers, such as polymer barrier coatings and light-management films. This paper reports the experimental results for polymer films deposited by resonant infrared matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (RIR-MAPLE) and resonant infrared pulsed laser deposition (RIR-PLD) for commercial optoelectronic device applications. In particular, light-management films, such as anti-reflection coatings, require refractive-index engineering of a material. However, refractive indices of polymers fall within a relatively narrow range, leading to major efforts to develop both low- and high-refractive-index polymers. Polymer nanocomposites can expand the range of refractive indices by incorporating low- or high-refractive-index nanoscale materials. RIR-MAPLE is an excellent technique for depositing polymer-nanocomposite films in multilayer structures, which are essential to light-management coatings. In this paper, we report our efforts to engineer the refractive index of a barrier polymer by combining RIR-MAPLE of nanomaterials (for example, high refractive-index TiO₂ nanoparticles) and RIR-PLD of host polymer. In addition, we report on the properties of organic and polymer films deposited by RIR-MAPLE and/or RIR-PLD, such as Alq₃ [tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum] and PEDOT:PSS [poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate)]. Finally, the challenges and potential for commercializing RIR-MAPLE/PLD, such as industrial scale-up issues, are discussed.     

Stability of anti-reflection coatings via the self-assembly encapsulation of silica nanoparticles by diazo-resins

A modified silica nanoparticle (MSNP) solution was formed by the encapsulation of negatively charged silica nanoparticles by the UV-crosslinkable polycation oligomer diazo-resin (DAR). Appropriate DAR encapsulation concentrations were determined by use of zeta-potential and dynamic light scattering measurements. The MSNPs were used in conjunction with poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) to grow homogenous ionic self-assembled multilayer anti-reflection coatings. Stability was induced within the films by the exposure of UV-irradiation that allowed for crosslinking of the DAR and PSS. The films were characterized by UV/vis/IR spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The transmission and reflection levels were >98.5% and <0.05%, respectively. The refractive indices resided in the 1.25–1.26 range. The solvent stability was tested by sonication of the films in a ternary solvent (H₂O/DMF/ZnCl₂ 3:5:2 w/w/w).     

Asymmetric effect of (000$\bar{1}$) and (0001) facets on surface and interface properties of CdS single crystal

A different effect of (0001) and (000[`1]\bar{1}) crystal facets of the cadmium sulfide (CdS) wurtzite structure terminated with Cd and S atoms, respectively, was observed in respect to the properties of the crystal surface and interface with metal or organic semiconductor contacts. In addition to the different surface morphology, a bare CdS single crystal showed different features in photoluminescence from the Cd- and S-terminated surfaces. Different adhesive behavior of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (PEDOT:PSS) films in respect to the Cd- and S-terminated facets of the crystal has also been found. Photovoltaic properties of hybrid CdS/PEDOT:PSS heterojunctions have been shown to be sensitive in respect to the crystal facet used. Thin films of aluminum (Al) equally deposited onto the opposite crystal facets revealed much smaller sheet resistance on the sulfur facet than on the cadmium one, which has been assigned to the difference in both chemical interaction with the surface atoms and surface morphology. Current–voltage characteristics of an apparently symmetric Al/CdS/Al structure with Al electrodes deposited onto the opposite crystal facets showed asymmetric behavior depending on the bias direction applied to the Cd or S-terminated facet, with the barrier for electrons at the Al/S-terminated interface, respectively.     

PEDOT:PSS Schottky contacts on annealed ZnO films

Polycrystalline ZnO and ITO films on SiO₂ substrates are prepared by radio frequency (RF) reactive magnetron sputtering. Schottky contacts are fabricated on ZnO films by spin coating with a high conducting polymer, poly(3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) as the metal electrodes. The current-voltage measurements for samples on unannealed ZnO films exhibit rectifying behaviours with a barrier height of 0.72 eV (n=1.93). The current for the sample is improved by two orders of magnitude at 1 V after annealing ZnO film at 850 ℃, whose barrier height is 0.75 eV with an ideality factor of 1.12. X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy are used to study the properties of the PEDOT:PSS/ZnO/ITO/SiO₂. The results are useful for applications such as metal-semiconductor field-effect transistors and UV photodetectors.     

Fabrication of ZnO and its enhancement of charge injection and transport in hybrid organic/inorganic light emitting devices

ZnO nanocrystals were synthesized by hydrolysis in methanol. X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectra confirm that good crystallized ZnO nanoparticles were formed. Utilizing those ZnO nanoparticles and poly[2-methoxy-5-(3′,7′-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MDMO-PPV), light emitting devices with indium tin oxide (ITO)/poly(3,4-oxyethyleneoxy-thiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)/ZnO:MDMO-PPV/Al and ITO/PEDOT:PSS/MDMO-PPV/Al structures were fabricated. Electroluminescence (EL) spectra reveal that EL yield of hybrid MDMO-PPV and ZnO nanocrystals devices increased greatly as compared with pristine MDMO-PPV devices. The current-voltage characteristics indicate that addition of ZnO nanocrystals can facilitate electrical injection and charge transport. The decreased energy barrier to electron injection is responsible for the increased efficiency of electron injection.     

KDP/PEDOT:PSS mixture as a new alternative in the fabrication of pressure sensing devices

In this work we studied the mixture of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), a commercial polymer, with monobasic potassium phosphate (KDP), a piezoelectric salt, as a possible novel material in the fabrication of a low cost, easy-to-make, flexible pressure sensing device. The mixture between KDP and PEDOT:PSS was painted in a flexible polyester substrate and dried. Afterwards, I × V curves were carried out. The samples containing KDP presented higher values of current in smaller voltages than the PEDOT:PSS without KDP. This can mean a change in the chain arrays. Other results showed that the material responds to directly applied pressure to the sample that can be useful to sensors fabrication.     

A prerequisite to achieving high performance polymer/inorganic thin film diodes

An alternative approach to high performance polymeric rectifiers based on p-type polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) and an n-type zinc oxide (ZnO) films is demonstrated. It is evident that nanoscale grain compatibility at an interface does not ensure that the device has the highest performance, but only a prerequisite for the two materials to exhibit the interaction. Being a non-invasive probe, Raman spectroscopy is used to monitor the degree of interaction between PEDOT:PSS and ZnO films. High performance of devices is achieved by the control of grain matching and more essentially, by the strong interaction of molecules at the interface. The developed PEDOT:PSS/ZnO diode can rectify an incoming a.c. voltage signal at frequencies up to 18 MHz. Operating with a low turn-on voltage, the diode has a current density of 220 mA/cm² and a rectification ratio of 4000 in the open atmosphere which are higher than previously reported polymer/inorganic vertical diodes.