Tuning the morphology and molecular orientation of copper hexadecafluorophthalocyanine thin films by solvent annealing

We present a detailed investigation of the molecular orientation transition and resulting morphology of copper hexadecafluorophthalocyanine (F16CuPc) thin films induced by solvent annealing. The F16CuPc molecules reorganize from small spherical or fibre-like crystals to large-size ribbon crystals which then dominate the resulting film properties. This reorganization and the formation of the ribbon crystals are closely related to the evaporation of solvent molecules and Ostwald ripening. The resulting thin films demonstrate morphological and structural characteristics with significant potential for application in high-performance organic electronic devices. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.