Air-stable polymer electronic devices

Abstract

An innovative approach that significantly extends the lifetime of polymer-based devices is presented. Devices with unique air stability and with enhanced performance have been shown by introducing a solution-based titanium oxide layer (TiOx) between the active layer and the aluminum cathode in polymer light-emitting diodes (PLED) and polyester solar cells (PSC). The TiOx layer acts as a shielding layer that prevents the intrusion of oxygen and humidity into the electronically active polymers, thereby improving the lifetime of unpackaged devices exposed to air by nearly two orders of magnitude. The degradation of polymer devices can eliminated or reduced by sealing the components inside an impermeable package using glass and/or metal. Attempts to create flexible packaging using hybrid multilayer barriers comprised of inorganic oxide layers separated by polymer layers with total thickness of 5-7μm also have been reported with promising results.