Characterization of the interface dipole at organic/metal interfaces

Xavier Crispin*, Victor Geskin, Annica Crispin, Jérôme Cornil, Roberto Lazzaroni, William R. Salaneck, Jean Luc Brédas

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

481 Scopus citations

Abstract

In organics-based (opto)electronic devices, the interface dipoles formed at the organic/metal interfaces play a key role in determining the barrier for charge (hole or electron) injection between the metal electrodes and the active organic layers. The origin of this dipole is rationalized here from the results of a joint experimental and theoretical study based on the interaction between acrylonitrile, a π-conjugated molecule, and transition metal surfaces (Cu, Ni, and Fe). The adsorption of acrylonitrile on these surfaces is investigated experimentally by photoelectron spectroscopies, while quantum mechanical methods based on density functional theory are used to study the systems theoretically. It appears that the interface dipole formed at an organic/metal interface can be divided into two contributions: (i) the first corresponds to the "chemical" dipole induced by a partial charge transfer between the organic layers and the metal upon chemisorption of the organic molecules on the metal surface, and (ii) the second relates to the change in metal surface dipole because of the modification of the metal electron density tail that is induced by the presence of the adsorbed organic molecules. Our analysis shows that the charge injection barrier in devices can be tuned by modulating various parameters: the chemical potential of the bare metal (given by its work function), the metal surface dipole, and the ionization potential and electron affinity of the organic layer.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)8131-8141
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of the American Chemical Society
Volume124
Issue number27
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 10 2002
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Catalysis
  • General Chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Colloid and Surface Chemistry

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Characterization of the interface dipole at organic/metal interfaces'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this