A polymer electrolyte design enables ultralow-work-function electrode for high-performance optoelectronics

Abstract

Ambient solution-processed conductive materials with a sufficient low work function are essential to facilitate electron injection in electronic and optoelectronic devices but are challenging. Here, we design an electrically conducting and ambient-stable polymer electrolyte with an ultralow work function down to 2.2 eV, which arises from heavy n-doping of dissolved salts to polymer matrix. Such materials can be solution processed into uniform and smooth films on various conductors including graphene, conductive metal oxides, conducting polymers and metals to substantially improve their electron injection, enabling high-performance blue light-emitting diodes and transparent light-emitting diodes. This work provides a universal strategy to design a wide range of stable charge injection materials with tunable work function. As an example, we also synthesize a high-work-function polymer electrolyte material for high-performance solar cells.