Surfaces and interfaces in polymer-based electronics

Research on electronics applications such as light-emitting devices for flat-panel displays, transistors, sensors and even solid state lasers based on conducting polymers is presently under way and in some cases has reached the stage of prototype production. The mechanisms for charge injection and conduction in these materials are being studied, as are the physics of luminescence and its quenching. Lately, research into controlling film morphology through self-organizing techniques also has gained interest, Though the present interest in conducting polymers mainly concerns the pristine semiconducting state, doped conducting polymers are also studied for potential use in many applications. In this paper. we present an over-view of some of the central issues in surface and interface science in the field, as well as provide our view on what may lie ahead in the future. Specifically, the importance of metal/polymer, polymer/metal and polymer/polymer interfaces is addressed. We illustrate these using polymer-based light-emitting devices, though the same type of issues appear in other polymer-based application, such as transistors and solar cells. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.