Surface Modification of ITO with N-Heterocyclic Carbene Precursors Results in Electron Selective Contacts in Organic Photovoltaic Devices

Surface modification of indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes with organic molecules is known to tune their work function which results in higher charge carrier selectivity in corresponding organic electronic devices and hence influences the performance of organic solar cells. In recent years, N-heteroc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemistry : a European journal 2023-10, Vol.29 (60), p.e202301482-e202301482
Main Authors: Das, Mowpriya, Kohlstädt, Markus, Enders, Maria, Burger, Stephan, Sasmal, Himadri Sekhar, Zimmermann, Birger, Schäfer, Andreas, Tyler, Bonnie J, Arlinghaus, Heinrich F, Krossing, Ingo, Würfel, Uli, Glorius, Frank
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analytical methods
Bonding strength
Carbenes
Carbon dioxide
Chemistry
Covalent bonds
Current carriers
Electrodes
Electronic equipment
Heavy metals
Indium tin oxides
Organic chemistry
Photovoltaic cells
Photovoltaics
Precursors
Solar cells
Spin coating
Tin
Work functions
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Summary:Surface modification of indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes with organic molecules is known to tune their work function which results in higher charge carrier selectivity in corresponding organic electronic devices and hence influences the performance of organic solar cells. In recent years, N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have also been proven to be capable to modify the work function of metals and semimetals compared to the unfunctionalized surface via the formation of strong covalent bonds. In this report, we have designed and performed the modification of the ITO surface with NHC by using the zwitterionic bench stable IPr-CO2 as the NHC precursor, applied via spin coating. Upon modification, the work function of ITO electrodes was reduced significantly which resulted in electron selective contacts in corresponding organic photovoltaic devices. In addition, various characterization techniques and analytical methods are used to elucidate the nature of the bound species and the corresponding binding mechanism of the material to the ITO surface.
ISSN:0947-6539
1521-3765
DOI:10.1002/chem.202301482