Surface Modification of Indium Tin Oxide

Indium tin oxide serve a critical function in many organic devices, such as organic light emitting diodes and organic photovoltaics. To optimize the performances of these devices, it is desirable to tune the interface between the indium tin oxide and the next functional layer of these devices. A common surface modification of transparent conductive oxides is through the use of self-assembled monolayers. This methodology enables a simultaneously tuning of the properties and performance of this interface, including the surface energy, work function and durability of the transparent conductive oxide. Phosphonic acid and silane based monolayers have been extensively studied and used in devices for their ability to tune the interfacial properties of transparent conductive oxide. Herein, alcohol based monolayers are first demonstrated on transparent conductive oxide surfaces. The electrochemical and chemical stabilities of alcohol based monolayers, as well as changes in the optical properties of the Indium tin oxide as a function of their stability were evaluated in comparison to more traditional routes of surface modification, such as through the use of silanes and phosphonic acid based monolayers. The tunability of both work function and surface energy of the modified Indium tin oxide were also determined for assessing their electronic properties.