Interfacial chemical composition and molecular order in organic photovoltaic blend thin films probed by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
File(s)SERS_ACS_revised_accepted.pdf (1.09 MB) SERS_ACS_ESI_revised_accepted.pdf (5.27 MB)
Accepted version
Supporting information
Author(s)
Razzell-Hollis, J
Thiburce, Q
Tsoi, WC
Kim, J-S
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Organic electronic devices invariably involve transfer of charge carriers between the organic layer and at least one metal electrode, and they are sensitive to the local properties of the organic film at those interfaces. Here, we demonstrate a new approach for using an advanced technique called surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy (SERS) to quantitatively probe interfacial properties relevant to charge injection/extraction. Exploiting the evanescent electric field generated by a ∼7 nm thick layer of evaporated silver, Raman scattering from nearby molecules is enhanced by factors of 10–1000× and limited by a distance dependence with a measured decay length of only 7.6 nm. When applied to the study of an all-polymer 1:1 blend of P3HT and F8TBT used in organic solar cells, we find that the as-cast film is morphologically suited to charge extraction in inverted devices, with a top (anode) interface very rich in hole-transporting P3HT (74.5%) and a bottom (cathode) interface slightly rich in electron-transporting F8TBT (55%). While conventional, uninverted P3HT:F8TBT devices are reported to perform poorly compared to inverted devices, their efficiency can be improved by thermal annealing but only after evaporation of a metallic top electrode. This is explained by changes in composition at the top interface: annealing prior to silver evaporation leads to a greater P3HT concentration at the top interface to 83.3%, exaggerating the original distribution that favored inverted devices, while postevaporation annealing increases the concentration of F8TBT at the top interface to 34.8%, aiding the extraction of electrons in a conventional device. By nondestructively probing buried interfaces, SERS is a powerful tool for understanding the performance of organic electronic devices.
Date Issued
2016-11-16
Date Acceptance
2016-10-27
Citation
ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 2016, 8 (45), pp.31469-31481
ISSN
1944-8244
Publisher
American Chemical Society
Start Page
31469
End Page
31481
Journal / Book Title
ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
Volume
8
Issue
45
Copyright Statement
© 2016 American Chemical Society
Sponsor
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC)
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC)
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000388429600093&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Grant Number
EP/J021199/1
EP/K029843/1
n/a
EP/L016702/1
Subjects
Science & Technology
Technology
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Science & Technology - Other Topics
Materials Science
organic electronics
SERS
interfacial properties
charge extraction
conjugated polymers
SOLAR-CELL BLENDS
MORPHOLOGY EVOLUTION
POLYMER
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2016-10-27