Cathodic and anodic material diffusion in polymer/semiconductor-nanocrystal composite devices

The cathodic and anodic material diffusion-related degradation mechanism in nanoparticles/polymer composites LEDs were studied. The results show that after a small increase at the interface between the cathode and the organic multilayer, the aluminum cathode intensity decreases sharply. The agreement in the data collected from the different LEDs indicate a homogeneous composition for active and passive areas. The extra oxygen in certain areas is related to the oxidation of the diffused aluminum, which was adsorbed from the environment surrounding the device. Substantial iridium electrodes contamination is found in the organic multilayer and is approximately equivalent to 65% of the multilayer thickness. The growth of thicker aluminum oxide at the cathode/multilayer interface explains the loss of conductivity in the LED.