The specific effect of graphene additives in polyaniline-based nanocomposite layers on performance characteristics of electroluminescent and photovoltaic devices

Abstract

A comparative study of the effect of graphene admixture to polyaniline hole-injection layers of polymer light emitting diodes (PLEDs) and anode buffer layers of organic solar cells (OSCs) has been performed. The layers have been made from the complex of polyaniline with poly-2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1propanesulfonic acid with (or without) addition of 1 wt % graphene prepared by the mechanochemical method. It has been shown that the effects of the graphene addition into the auxiliary PLED and OSC layers are opposite: performance characteristics (current and light efficiency) of the former deteriorate and those of the latter are improved (in particular, the powerconversion efficiency increases by a factor of 1.4). The reasons considered to be behind the opposite effects are a significant difference in the currents flowing through the PLED and OSC, a more developed interface between the OSC anode buffer layer and photolayer, and channeling the longitudinal conductivity at the interface between graphene nanoparticles and polyaniline.