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.     

Enhanced functionalities of DNA thin films by facile conjugation with conducting polymers

In this study, we discuss a method to embed PEDOT:PSS into DNA with a designated concentration of PEDOT:PSS and construction of PEDOT:PSS-embedded DNA thin films. In order to shed light on the interaction between PEDOT:PSS and DNA, optical spectroscopy measurements were performed. DNA-PEDOT:PSS thin films showed a broad absorption band around 800 nm which was associated with PEDOT:PSS. The electrical properties of DNA-PEDOT:PSS thin films were assessed. A significant enhancement in current for DNA-PEDOT:PSS thin films DNA was observed which agreed with the decrement in band gap of DNA-PEDOT:PSS thin films. For the energy storage capability and dielectric constant of DNA-PEDOT:PSS thin films, capacitance measurements were conducted. Frequency-dependent capacitance indicated enhancement in the capacitance and dielectric constant by electric polarization of PEDOT:PSS in a DNA thin film. Our approach may assist in development of various biosensors and electronic devices with specific functionalities based on biomaterials and conducting polymer complexes.     

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%。     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene): Poly(styrene sulfonate)的共振拉曼光谱研究

通过拉曼光谱方法分别对PEDOT:PSS掺杂和去掺杂状态进行了详细分析. 实验结果表明, 去掺杂的PEDOT:PSS由于其在激发波长附近的吸收增强而引起了共振效应, 拉曼信号得到大幅度增强, 可见, 以633 nm(He-Ne)激光为激发波长的拉曼光谱是研究PEDOT:PSS掺杂状态的有效方法. 此外, 显微拉曼光谱也是分析聚合物发光二极管器件内各层材料的有效手段.     

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.     

体异质结有机太阳能电池性能提高的研究

制备了四种不同结构的有机太阳能电池器件,器件1 ITO/LiF/PEDOT∶PSS/MEH-PPV/C₆₀/Al、器件2 ITO/PEDOT∶PSS/MEH-PPV/C₆₀/Al、器件3 ITO/LiF/PEDOT∶PSS/MEH-PPV∶C₆₀/C₆₀/Al和器件4 ITO/PEDOT∶PSS/MEH-PPV∶C₆₀/C₆₀/Al。测量了它们的电流－电压特性,结果显示在ITO和PEDOT∶PSS之间插入一薄层LiF使得器件性能得到较大提高。其器件1的J_SC和FF比器件2的提高了74%和31%; 器件3的J_SC比器件4的提高了约40%。这主要是由于LiF层有效地抑制了空穴向阳极的传输,并且LiF层在ITO和PEDOT:PSS之间形成了良好的界面特性。因此,这种结构上的改进有效地提高了有机太阳能电池的性能。     

Improving the performance of perovskite solar cells with glycerol-doped PEDOT:PSS buffer layer

In this paper, we investigate the effects of glycerol doping on transmittance, conductivity and surface morphology of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate))(PEDOT:PSS) and its influence on the performance of perovskite solar cells.. The conductivity of PEDOT:PSS is improved obviously by doping glycerol. The maximum of the conductivity is 0.89 S/cm when the doping concentration reaches 6 wt%, which increases about 127 times compared with undoped. The perovskite solar cells are fabricated with a configuration of indium tin oxide(ITO)/PEDOT:PSS/CH_3NH_3PbI_3/PC_(61)BM/Al, where PEDOT:PSS and PC_(61)BM are used as hole and electron transport layers, respectively. The results show an improvement of hole charge transport as well as an increase of short-circuit current density and a reduction of series resistance, owing to the higher conductivity of the doped PEDOT:PSS. Consequently, it improves the whole performance of perovskite solar cell. The power conversion efficiency(PCE) of the device is improved from 8.57% to 11.03% under AM 1.5 G(100 mW/cm~2 illumination) after the buffer layer has been modified.     

Band bending at the conducting polymer/indium tin oxide interfaces with and without ultraviolet treatment

In this study, the effect of ultraviolet treatment on the band bending at the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(4-styrenesulfonate)/indium tin oxide (PEDOT:PSS/ITO) interfaces were researched. The authors suggested that ultraviolet treatment could lead to a reduction in the band bending at the PEDOT:PSS/ITO interface, owing to the removal of carbon contamination at the ITO surfaces and a decrease in the number of the trap-states at the PEDOT:PSS/ITO interface.     

Highly efficient solar-heat shield based on the bipolaron-assisted PEDOT:PSS thin film

We report on an efficient solar-heat shield based on the highly transparent PEDOT:PSS thin film, which significantly reduces the temperature from 38.2 ̊C to 33.5 ̊C. To understand the superior solar-heat shielding ability, the modified PEDOT:PSS thin films were investigated by using the transmittance spectra, Raman scattering spectra, atomic-force microscopic (AFM) images and broadband refractive index spectra. The experimental results show that the molecular structure of the PEDOT chains can be manipulated by varying the Brownian motion of PEDOT polymers in the PEDOT:PSS solutions and the spin rate. The lower Brownian motion of PEDOT polymers and the higher spin rate both can change the molecular structure of the PEDOT chains from bended structures (de-doping states) to linear structures (doping states), which simultaneously increase the near-infrared absorption strength and the visible transparency due to the formation of bipolarons.     

电场诱导空穴注入缓冲层PEDOT：PSS取向对OLED发光性能的影响

实验中以PEDOT:PSS在ITO基片上旋涂作为空穴传输层,并且在旋涂PEDOT:PSS的过程中在与ITO玻璃平面垂直的方向施加一个诱导聚合物取向的高压电场,试验着重研究了所加电场强度对双层器件:ITO/PEDOT:PSS/MEH-PPV/Al器件性能的影响。测试结果表明,旋涂时所加电场的大小对器件的发光强度和起亮电压都有明显的影响。随着所加电场的增大,器件发光强度明显增加,起亮电压减小。由此表明:在高电场作用下,聚合物分子链沿电场方向发生了取向,而且随着电场增强这种取向作用会表现得越明显,并且在PEDOT:PSS膜表层会形成一个梯度变化的PSS聚集,使得从ITO到MEH-PPV的功函数逐渐上升,降低空穴注入势垒,增强了空穴的注入效率。     

阳极缓冲层修饰对聚合物太阳能电池性能的影响

为提高聚合物太阳能电池的能量转换效率,将聚乙二醇(PEG)掺入PEDOT∶PSS阳极缓冲层,研究了阳极缓冲层修饰对聚合物太阳能电池性能的影响。首先研究了聚乙二醇对PEDOT∶PSS薄膜电导率的影响,发现PEG会与PEDOT和PSS相互作用,使得PEDOT链重新排布,有利于电荷载流子的传输,从而显著改善了PEDOT∶PSS薄膜的电导率,当PEDOT∶PSS中掺入体积分数为2%~4%的PEG时,可得到较大的电导率。然后,以PEG修饰的PEDOT∶PSS薄膜作为阳极缓冲层制备了聚合物太阳能电池,研究了PEG的掺入对聚合物太阳能电池性能的影响。实验发现,PEG改善的PEDOT∶PSS电导率有利于提高电池的短路电流密度和填充因子,从而改善了器件光伏性能。当PEDOT∶PSS中掺入体积分数为2%的PEG时,聚合物太阳能电池的能量转换效率最高,比未掺杂的器件提高了24.4%。     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Improving efficiency of inverted perovskite solar cells via ethanolamine-doped PEDOT:PSS as hole transport layer

In order to fabricate high-performance inverted perovskite solar cells (PeSCs), an appropriate hole transport layer (HTL) is essential since it will affect the hole extraction at perovskite/HTL interface and determine the crystallization quality of the subsequent perovskite films. Herein, a facile and simple method is developed by adding ethanolamine (ETA) into poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) as HTL. The doping of a low-concentration ETA can efficiently modify the electrical properties of the PEDOT:PSS film and lower the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level, which is more suitable for the hole extraction from the perovskite to HTL. Besides, ETA-doped PEDOT:PSS will create a perovskite film with larger grain size and higher crystallinity. Hence, the results show that the open-circuit voltage of the device increases from 0.99 V to 1.06 V, and the corresponding power conversion efficiency (PCE) increases from 14.68% to 19.16%. The alkaline nature of ethanolamine greatly neutralizes the acidity of PEDOT:PSS, and plays a role in protecting the anode, leading the stability of the devices to be improved significantly. After being stored for 2000 h, the PCE of ETA-doped PEDOT:PSS devices can maintain 84.2% of the initial value, which is much higher than 67.1% of undoped devices.     

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.     

利用Ag_2O/PEDOT:PSS复合缓冲层提高P3HT:PCBM聚合物太阳能电池器件性能的研究

利用Ag2O/PEDOT:PSS(聚(3,4-乙撑二氧噻吩):聚苯乙烯磺酸盐)作为复合阳极缓冲层,制备了P3HT:PCBM(聚(3-已基噻吩):富勒烯衍生物)聚合物太阳能电池器件,并通过改变氧化银插入层的厚度来分析复合缓冲层对器件性能的影响.实验发现,具有阳极缓冲层修饰的器件在退火处理后,光伏性能得到了改善.相比于单一PEDOT:PSS缓冲层的器件,Ag2O/PEDOT:PSS复合缓冲层可以增大器件的短路电流密度和外量子效率,使器件效率得到提高.分析表明,退火处理可以有效改善活性层的薄膜形貌,增加光的吸收和激子的解离,而较薄氧化银的引入,可以有效降低阳极处空穴的输运势垒,提高器件空穴收集效率,并能充当化学间隔层,提高器件光伏性能和稳定性.