Polymer light-emitting diodes application area

These novel properties are the basis for a number of application including polymer light emitting diodes (LEDs), polymer light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs), conducting polymers as electrochromic materials, polymer photodetectors and polymer photovoltaic cells. These application areas are discussed in detail in Section VII. 

CPs have been proven to be excellent materials for optoelectronic applications, e.g. polymer light-emitting diodes and solar cells etc. [106,121]. Numerous smdies have been devoted to this area with the primary focus on thin-film or bulk materials. For CPNWs in particular, recent studies have shown that these materials are very promising candidates for efficient nanoscale photovoltaic devices [30,52,54,57]. Figure 10.53 shows the optical response of a single CPNW in terms of photocurrent towards light exposure [52]. 

Figure 1.4 shows the main areas of interest for papers published on conducting (CEPs) electroactive polymers over the past 25 years, with almost half of the publications related to the synthesis of new types of CEPs or modifications to existing CEPs. The next largest area of research has been into the physics of the conduction mechanisms, while applications for CEPs accounts for fewer than 20% of publications. A further breakdown of the areas of application for CEPs sees a great deal of interest in batteries, followed by sensors, membranes and polymer light emitting diodes (PLEDs). 

This volume of the series focuses on the photochemistry and photophysics of metal-containing polymers. Metals imbedded within macromolecular protein matrices form the basis for the photosynthesis of plants. Metal-polymer complexes form the basis for many revolutionary advances occurring now. The contributors to many of these advances are authors of chapters in this volume. Application areas covered in this volume include nonlinear optical materials, solar cells, light-emitting diodes, photovoltaic cells, field-effect transistors, chemosensing devices, and biosensing devices. At the heart of each of these applications are metal atoms that allow the assembly to function as required. The use of boron-containing polymers in various electronic applications was described in Volume 8 of this series. 

Poly(phenylene vinylene) (PPV) is another valuable conjugated polymer, as the synthetic process of PPV is simple and low cost. PPV possesses excellent photoluminescent (PL) and electroluminescent (EL) properties, as well as photovoltaic (PV) and nonlinear optical properties [57]. These properties have led to its being used in broad applications, in such areas as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and flat-panel displays and photonics applications such as wave-guiding and all-optical switching. 

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