Charge-transfer interfaces between metal and redox arylamine molecular films: As probed with anode interfacial engineering approach in single-layer organic diodes

TL;DR

This study explores charge-transfer interfaces in single-layer organic diodes with arylamine films, demonstrating how interfacial engineering influences diode performance and conduction mechanisms, providing insights into organic/metal interface probing.

Contribution

It introduces an anode interfacial engineering approach to probe and tune charge-transfer interfaces in organic diodes, highlighting the impact of interface factors on device performance.

Findings

Diode turn-on voltage is highly sensitive to charge-transfer interfaces.

Electrical performance can be tuned by controlling work function, substituents, and surface morphology.

Conduction follows Richardson-Schottky thermionic emission model.

Abstract

We investigate the charge-transfer interfaces between metal and redox arylamine molecular films through studying the current-voltage characteristics of single-layer organic diodes with the aid of anode interfacial engineering method. The diode turn-on voltage is shown to be highly sensitive to the arylamine/metal charge-transfer interfaces and thus can serve as a probe in detecting such organic/metal interfaces. We show that the diode electrical performance could be tuned through engineering the arylamine/metal interfaces via controlling the factors of anode work function, arylamine substitute groups, and active layer surface morphology etc. The conduction mechanism of the diodes is shown to be injection limited, which could be well described with Richardson-Schottky thermonic emission model. Our work may provide some insight into the use of single-layer organic diode and interfacial engineering method to rapidly probe the organic/metal and even organic/organic charge-transfer interfaces.