Interlayers Self-Generated by Additive-Metal Interactions in Organic Electronic Devices

The fundamental structure of all organic electronic devices is a stack of thin layers sandwiched between electrodes, with precise intralayer morphology and interlayer interactions. Solution processing multilayers with little to no intermixing is, however, technically challenging and often incompatible with continuous roll-to-roll, high-speed manufacturing. Here, an overview of a recently developed methodology for self-generation of interlayers positioned between the active layer and metal contact is presented. The interlayer material is blended as an additive in the active layer and migrates to the organic/metal interface during metal deposition. The driving force for this migration is additive-metal interactions. The generated interlayer positions an interfacial dipole that reduces barriers for charge transfer across the organic/metal interface. This methodology is generic and, as reported here, the self-generated interlayers significantly improve the performance of many devices. Importantly, this approach is compatible with printing and reel-to-reel processing. Directives toward additive selection, processing conditions and integration in future applications are also discussed.