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research article

Electron Trap Dynamics in Polymer Light-Emitting Diodes

Diethelm, Matthias
•
Bauer, Michael
•
Hu, Wei-Hsu
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April 10, 2022
Advanced Functional Materials

Semiconducting polymers are being studied intensively for optoelectronic device applications, including solution-processed light-emitting diodes (PLEDs). Charge traps in polymers limit the charge transport and thus the PLED efficiency. It is firmly established that electron transport is hindered by the presence of the universal electron trap density, whereas hole trap formation governs the long-term degradation of PLEDs. Here, the response of PLEDs to electrical driving and breaks covering the timescale from microseconds to (a few) hours is studied, thus focusing on electron traps. As reference polymer, a phenyl-substituted poly(para-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) copolymer termed super yellow (SY) is used. Three different traps with depths between approximate to 0.4 and 0.7 eV, and a total trap site density of approximate to 2 x 10(17) cm(-3) are identified. Surprisingly, filling of deep traps takes minutes to hours, at odds with the common notion that charge trapping is complete after a few hundred microseconds. The slow trap filling feature for PLEDs is confirmed using poly(2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene (MEH-PPV) and poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as active materials. This unusual phenomenon is explained with trap deactivation upon detrapping and slow trap reactivation. The results provide useful insight to pinpoint the chemical nature of the universal electron traps in semiconducting polymers.

  • Details
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Type
research article
DOI
10.1002/adfm.202106185
Web of Science ID

WOS:000779848800001

Author(s)
Diethelm, Matthias
Bauer, Michael
Hu, Wei-Hsu
Vael, Camilla
Jenatsch, Sandra
Blom, Paul W. M.
Nuesch, Frank  
Hany, Roland
Date Issued

2022-04-10

Publisher

WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH

Published in
Advanced Functional Materials
Article Number

2106185

Subjects

Chemistry, Multidisciplinary

•

Chemistry, Physical

•

Nanoscience & Nanotechnology

•

Materials Science, Multidisciplinary

•

Physics, Applied

•

Physics, Condensed Matter

•

Chemistry

•

Science & Technology - Other Topics

•

Materials Science

•

Physics

•

charge transport

•

charge trap dynamics

•

electron trap

•

polymer light emitting diodes

•

semiconducting polymers

•

recoverable degradation

•

quantum efficiency

•

oxygen

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recombination

•

transport

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
UPNUES  
Available on Infoscience
April 25, 2022
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/187343
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