Carrier transport mechanisms of hybrid ZnO nanorod-polymer LEDs

Abstract

A hybrid polymer-nanorod (NR) light-emitting diode (LED), consisting of a hole-conducting polymer poly (9-vinyl carbazole) (PVK) and ZnO nanorod (NR) composite, with the device structure of glass/indium-tin-oxide (ITO)/PEDOT:PSS/(PVK + ZnO nanorods)/Al is fabricated through a simple spin coating technique. TEM images shows inhomogeneous deposition and the agglomeration of ZnO NRs, which is explained through their low probability of adsorption on PVK due to two-dimensional structural property. In the current-voltage characteristics, negative differential resistance (NDR) phenomenon is observed corresponding to device structure without ZnO NRs. The carrier transport behavior in the LED device is well described by both ohmic and space-chargelimited-current (SCLC) mechanisms. Broad blue electroluminescence (EL) consisting of two sub peaks, are centered at 441 nm and the other at 495 nm, is observed, which indicates that the ZnO nanorod play a role as a recombination center for excitons. The red shift in the position of the EL compared to that photoluminescence is well explained through band offsets at the heterojunction between the PVK and ZnO NRs.