Systematic Investigation of Nanoscale Adsorbate Effects at Organic Light-Emitting diode Interfaces. Interfacial Structure-Charge Injection-Luminance Relationships
Molecule-scale structure effects at indium tin oxide (ITO) anode-hole transport layer (HTL) interfaces in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) heterostructures are systematically probed via a self-assembly approach. A series of ITO anode-linked silyltriarylamine precursors differing in aryl group and linker density are synthesized for this purpose and used to probe the relationship between nanoscale interfacial chemical structure and charge-injection/electroluminescence properties. These precursors form conformal and largely pinhole-free self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on the ITO anode surface with angstrom-level thickness control. Deposition of a HTL on top of the SAMs places the probe molecules precisely at the anode-HTL interface. OLEDs containing ITO/SAM/HTL configurations have dramatically varied hole-injection magnitudes and OLED responses. These can be correlated with the probe molecular structures and electrochemically derived heterogeneous electron-transfer rates for such triarylamine fragments. The large observed interfacial molecular structure effects offer an approach to tuning OLED hole-injection flux over 1-2 orders of magnitude, resulting in up to 3-fold variations in OLED brightness at identical bias and up to a 2 V driving voltage reduction at identical brightness. Very bright and efficient ({approx}70 000 cd/m{sup 2}, {approx}2.5% forward external quantum efficiency, {approx}11 lm/W power efficiency) Alq (tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato)aluminum(III))-based OLEDs can thereby be fabricated.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) National Synchrotron Light Source
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Doe - Office Of Science
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-98CH10886
- OSTI ID:
- 914248
- Report Number(s):
- BNL--78816-2007-JA
- Journal Information:
- Chem. Mater., Journal Name: Chem. Mater. Vol. 18; ISSN CMATEX; ISSN 0897-4756
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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