Graphene-passivated nickel as an efficient hole-injecting electrode for large area organic semiconductor devices

schematic representation of the device structure used

Professor Rob Weatherup, and collaborators from Cambridge, CNRS and Cranfield, overcame the obstacles presented when controlling the injected charge from metal electrodes into organic semiconductors by implementing graphene-passivated nickel as an air stable bottom electrode in vertical devices comprising organic semiconductors.  

The passivated layers were used as hold-injecting bottom electrodes, and this paper, as published in Applied Physical Letters, demonstrates that efficient charge injection can be achieved into standard organic semiconducting polymers, owing to an oxide free nickel/graphene/polymer interface.  The experiment fabricated electrodes with low roughness, which enabled the team to produce large area devices without electrical shorts occurring.