Polymer/Gold Nanoparticle Nanocomposite Light-Emitting Diodes:  Enhancement of Electroluminescence Stability and Quantum Efficiency of Blue-Light-Emitting Polymers

Abstract

The potential use of polymer light-emitting diodes is ultimately limited by their low quantum efficiency as well as by their poor stability due to oxygen. We report experiments on polymer light-emitting diodes made with poly(9,9'-dioctylfluorene)/gold nanocomposites to solve these drawbacks. Blue polymer light-emitting diodes with enhanced luminescent stability were obtained by incorporating 5−10-nm gold nanoparticles as the quenchers of the triplet states of blue emitting polymer. The nanocomposite light-emitting diodes exhibited an enhanced quantum efficiency due to the roughening of the surface onto which the Al cathode is deposited and to balanced charge injection.