Degradation of MEH-PPV due to Oxygen/Moisture Traps through C-V Analysis and Attenuated Total Reflection IR Spectroscopy

We present the studying of oxygen and moisture traps in MEH-PPV through the MIS Capacitance – Voltage (C-V) analysis, and the Attenuated Total Reflection Infrared (ATR IR) spectroscopy technique. The presence of oxygen studied by ATR IR has also been verified by optical images from high resolution optical microscope. In quasi-static C-V measurements of the MIS (Al/MEH-PPV/p-Si) capacitors made, an extension of the weak inversion region was measured before strong inversion, which becomes more pronounced with aging. This increase in the weak inversion region is attributed to electron trapping by oxygen to form negative ions in the MEH-PPV layer. ATR IR spectroscopy shows the formation of carbonyl peak at 1651 cm−1 with aging, which is due to the presence of oxygen. Both the C-V analysis and Attenuated Total Reflection IR Spectroscopy are powerful tools for investigating the degradation of MEH-PPV polymer.