Effect of alcohol vapor treatment on electrical and optical properties of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) films for indium tin oxide-free organic light-emitting diodes

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A simple alcohol vapor treatment (AVT) technique was applied to enhance the conductivity of PEDOT:PSS films. • Alcohols with one OH group can improve conductivity of PEDOT:PSS films by this technique. • Mechanism of conductivity enhancement of PEDOT:PSS films by AVT method was explained. • ITO-free OLEDs were fabricated using highly conductive AVT PEDOT:PSS films standalone anode. - Abstract: A simple alcohol vapor treatment (AVT) technique was proposed to improve the conductivity of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) films. In this technique, various alcohols, i.e. methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol and ethylene glycol, were applied to treat the surface of the films formed and then they were annealed. The sheet resistance of PEDOT:PSS films was significantly reduced from 130 kΩ/sq to 60 Ω/sq when treated with methanol vapor. The investigation of the vertical resistance of the films showed that the sample treated with methanol vapor displayed the lowest resistance as well. The mechanism of conductivity enhancement of PEDOT:PSS films through AVT method was explained by surface phase images, UV and IR spectra of PEDOT:PSS films. Optical transmittance spectrum of treated films exhibited that AVT has even enhanced the optical transmittance slightly. Improvement in the morphology, electrical and optical properties of PEDOT:PSS films prompted their applications as a transparent anode in the fabrication of ITO-free organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The OLED manufactured based on methanol-treated PEDOT:PSS films demonstrated the highest luminance