Implementing Inkjet‐Printed Transparent Conductive Electrodes in Solution‐Processed Organic Electronics

Abstract

Through the use of solution‐based materials, the field of printed organic electronics has not only made new devices accessible, but also allows the process of manufacture to move toward a high throughput industrial scale. However, while solution‐based active layer materials in these systems have been studied quite intensely, the printed electrodes and specifically the transparent conductive anode have only relatively recently been investigated. In this progress report, the use of metal nanoparticles within printed organic electronic devices is highlighted, specifically their use as replacement of the commonly used indium tin oxide transparent conductive electrode within organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). A cross fertilization between the applications is expected since an OPV device is essentially an inversely operated OLED. This report aims to highlight the use of inkjet‐printed nanoparticles as cost‐effective electrodes for printed optoelectronic applications and discusses methods to improve the conductive and interfacial properties. Finally, in an outlook, the use of these types of metal nanoparticle inks to manipulate light management properties, such as outcoupling, in the device is investigated.

Universal three-dimensional crosslinker for all-photopatterned electronics

“…The wider spread of this technique for patterning layers of solution-processable materials is thus limited. Inkjet printing and nanoimprinting methods face several difficulties in producing uniform and large-area electronic devices on a large scale [21][22][23][24][25][26] . They also suffer from the same drawbacks of the solution-processed materials arising from their poor chemical robustness; the prepatterned underlayer is susceptible to the solution-based deposition process of the layer above it.…”

Advances in Inkjet‐Printed Metal Halide Perovskite Photovoltaic and Optoelectronic Devices

“…[106] The increased concentration of super saturation and the lower colloid concentration slow down nucleation and crystal growth, resulting in smooth perovskite layers with large grains. [105][106][107][108] Salts such as NH 4 Cl slowly decompose into NH 3 and HCl at ambient conditions. This ensures the formation of MHP during processing, even in absence of additional thermal annealing.…”

“…A printer system accessing productivities of up to 6 m 2 min −1 while maintaining small printed feature sizes of ≈10 μm. By this means, IJP can thus be utilized to process all layers of an electronic or optoelectronic device as demonstrated on a research level over the past 30 years for organic and now hybrid semiconductor‐based devices . Utilization of IJP stretches of course beyond material science.…”

Implementation of Flexible Embedded Nanowire Electrodes in Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes

“…Modern optoelectronics, such as organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) and thin‐film photovoltaics, rely on transparent electrodes (TEs). [ 1–5 ] TEs assure that light can leave or reach the active materials (emitters or absorbers), while simultaneously serving to inject or extract the charge carriers. Indium tin oxide (ITO) is the industrial standard for TEs, due to its high optical transmittance in the visible spectral range (>80%), together with its low sheet resistance ( R sh ) of <15 Ω sq −1 .…”