Transfer-Printed PEDOT:PSS Electrodes Using Mild Acids for High Conductivity and Improved Stability with Application to Flexible Organic Solar Cells

Xi Fan, Bingang Xu, Shenghua Liu, Chaohua Cui, Jinzhao Wang, Feng Yan

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

122 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Highly conductive, flexible, and transparent electrodes (FTEs) of PEDOT:PSS films on plastic substrates have been achieved using strong acid treatments. However, it is rare to realize a performance attenuation of PEDOT:PSS FTEs on plastic substrates and flexible optoelectronic devices because of strong acid residues in the PEDOT:PSS matrix. Herein, we develop a feasible transfer-printing technique using mild acids. Because of a mild and weak property of these acids and less acid residues in PEDOT:PSS matrix, the transferred PEDOT:PSS FTEs exhibited a significant enhancement in stability, conductivity (3500 S cm-1), transparency, and mechanical flexibility on plastic substrates. Flexible organic solar cells with the FTEs also showed a remarkable enhancement in power conversion efficiency and stability in the ambient atmosphere. It is expected that the novel transfer-printing technique for making PEDOT:PSS FTEs is also useful in many other types of flexible optoelectronic devices.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)14029-14036
Number of pages8
JournalACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
Volume8
Issue number22
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 8 Jun 2016

Keywords

  • acid residue
  • flexible electrode
  • organic solar cell
  • PEDOT:PSS
  • stability
  • transfer-printing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Materials Science(all)

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