The polymer/electrode interface has crucial effects on the properties exhibited by organic devices, such as polymer-based photovoltaics (PPVs).  One of the most researched material for PPVs is the P3HT:PCBM blend (poly(3-hexylthiophene:phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester).  In this work, the stability of the interface formed between an electrode and the P3HT:PCBM blend has been studied by I-V measurements in nitrogen environment, thus eliminating the influence of oxygen and moisture.  It was observed that when Al is used as an electrode, the dark I-V characteristic of the device changes slowly and stabilizes only after several hours.  The results suggest diffusion of Al atoms into the active polymer layer.  In the presence of an aluminum oxide layer, the device exhibited fairly stable dark I-V.  As will be shown, the stability of the polymer/electrode interface significantly influences the resulting macroscopic properties, such as photoconducting properties and thermal annealing effects.

Stability studies of P3HT:PCBM/electrode interfaces

245th National Meeting (2013)

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