Interface-tailored and nanoengineered polymeric materials for (opto)electronic devices

For plastic (opto)electronic devices such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), photovoltaic (PV) cells and field-effect transistors (FETs), the processes of charge (hole/electron) injection, charge transport, charge recombination (exciton formation), charge separation (exciton diffusion and dissociation) and charge collection are critical to enhance their performance. Most of these processes are relevant to nanoscale and interfacial phenomena. In this review, we highlight the state-of-the-art developments of interface-tailored and nanoengineered polymeric materials to optimize the performance of (opto)electronic devices. These include(1) interfacial engineering of anode and cathode for polymer LEDs; (2) nanoengineered (C₆₀ and inorganic semiconductor nanoparticles) π-conjugated polymeric materials for PV cells; and (3) polymer and monolayer dielectrics/interfaces for FETs and light-emitting and nano-FETs. © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry.