Controlling the dynamic behavior of light emitting electrochemical cells

Abstract Light emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) present an attractive route towards cost efficient lighting applications. By utilizing ionic phosphorescent transition metal complexes, efficient electroluminescence can be realized from a single layer device using air stable electrodes. These devices achieve efficient charge carrier injection due to ion accumulation at the interface upon driving, resulting in a dynamic response upon device operation. Here we investigate the device operation by using fast current and luminance versus voltage sweeps during normal fixed bias operating. A universal set of JL–V curves can be identified in which different regimes are observable. The speed and …

Operating Modes of Sandwiched Light-Emitting Electrochemical Cells

Light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) are promising lighting devices in which the redistribution of ionic charges allows for double electronic carrier injection from air-stable electrodes. Uncertainties about the mode of operation are limiting the progress of these devices. Using fast (with respect to the current growth time) but resolutive electrical measurement techniques, the electronic transport mechanism in state-of-the-art sandwiched devices can be monitored as a function of the operation time. The results indicate the formation of doped transport layers adjacent to the electrodes that reduces the extent of the central neutral light-emitting layer where electronic transport is l…

Influence of the cyanine counter anions on a bi-layer solar cell performance

ABSTRACTWe present normal and inverted solution processed bi-layer solar cells using cationic cyanine dyes as the electron donor and a fullerene as the electron acceptor. The cells exhibit high open circuit voltages up to 1 volt showing the optimal alignment of donor and acceptor energy levels. We demonstrate the large effect that cyanine dye counter ions can have on the energetics of the solar cells and how the S-shaped current density vs. voltage (J-V) curves can be avoided.

Influence of the intermediate density-of-states occupancy on open-circuit voltage of bulk heterojunction solar cells with different fullerene acceptors

Electron density of states (DOS) and recombination kinetics of bulk heterojunction solar cells consisting of a poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) donor and two fullerene acceptors, either [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) or 4,4′-dihexyloxydiphenylmethano[60]fullerene (DPM6), have been determined by means of impedance spectroscopy. The observed difference of 125 mV in the output open-circuit voltage is attributed to significant differences of the occupancy of the DOS in both fullerenes. Whereas DPM6 exhibits a full occupation of the electronic band, occupancy is restricted to the tail of the DOS in the case of PCBM-based devices, implying a higher rise of the Fermi level in the D…

Dynamic doping in bright and stable light emitting electrochemical cells.

By using fast current density and luminance versus voltage (JL-V) analysis the device operation of sandwiched light emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) during their normal voltage driving operation mode is studied. In LECs the application of a voltage results in the movement of ions changing the state of the device, as a result the JL-V scans need to be performed fast and meet certain conditions to be meaningful. Space-charge limited current behavior is observed once the injection barriers are overcome. The increase of the current density after this point imply that the effective thickness of the devices is reduced which indicates the formation of more conductive regions adjacent to the e…

Combined thermal evaporated and solution processed organic light emitting diodes

Abstract Highly efficient, partly solution processed phosphorescent red, green and white organic light emitting diodes with small molecular weight host materials are prepared from commercially available starting compounds. Starting from an evaporated reference device, layers are stepwise replaced by solution processed layers. Replacing the evaporated hole transport layer by a solution processed polymer interlayer does not affect the performance and allows spincoating of the emissive layer after annealing of the polymer. Devices with, next to the spincoated hole injection and transport layer, a solution processed emission layer show similar characteristics and efficiencies as the reference d…

Ionic Space-Charge Effects in Solid State Organic Photovoltaics

The effect of mobile ions on the operation of donor-acceptor bilayer solar cells is studied. We demonstrate the large effect ions can have on the energetics of the solar cells, illustrated by (for instance) changing the output voltage of a cell in situ from 0.35 to 0.74 V. More importantly, it is shown ionic species do not obstruct the charge generating properties of the photovoltaic devices and ionic space charge can be used in situ to improve their efficiencies. The results obtained are explained by taking into account energetic changes at the donor-acceptor interface as well as built-in potentials, giving clear guidelines on how ionic species can offer many new and exciting functionaliti…

Simple, Fast, Bright, and Stable Light Sources

In this work we show that solution-processed light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) based on only an ionic iridium complex and a small amount of ionic liquid exhibit exceptionally good performances when applying a pulsed current: sub-second turn-on times and almost constant high luminances (>600 cd m(-2) ) and power efficiencies over the first 600 h. This demonstrates the potential of LECs for applications in solid-state signage and lighting.

Polymer solar cells based on diphenylmethanofullerenes with reduced sidechain length

Diphenylmethanofullerenes (DPMs) show interesting properties as acceptors in polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells due to the high open circuit voltages they generate compared to their energy levels. Here we investigate the effect of reducing the alkane sidechain length of the DPMs from C12 to C6 in the properties of the solar cell. This change leads to an increase in the electron mobility, thus allowing for a lower fullerene content, which in turn results in an increase in the short circuit current and, finally, in an increase in the efficiency of the device (from 2.3 to 2.6%) due to the higher concentration of the more absorbing polymer in the film. Atomic force microscopy images and ex…

Solid-State Lighting: Simple, Fast, Bright, and Stable Light Sources (Adv. Mater. 7/2012)

Meniscus coated high open-circuit voltage bi-layer solar cells

Neat bi-layer solar cells of a fullerene acceptor and a cyanine dye donor were prepared using meniscus coating. Meniscus coating is very material efficient and leads to high quality pinhole-free films. The cells exhibit high open circuit voltages of 1 volt, only 0.8 eV below the band gap of the cyanine dye. This is one of the smallest differences reported for organic solar cells and illustrates an almost optimal donor-acceptor energy level alignment.