Abstract: Organic additives are used to improve the lifetimes of organic electronic devices, such as electroluminescent devices fabricated from polymer luminescent ink. These additives include moisture getters, thermally-activated organic/inorganic hybrids, radical scavengers, antioxidants, UV stabilizers, and photoretarders. For water and oxygen scavengers, activation at elevated temperatures or through another activation method is preferred. This allows for the handling of the device materials containing the scavenger under a lower temperature condition in air where higher levels of ambiently-supplied water or oxygen may also be present. The invention also improves operational lifetimes as getters, scavengers and similar acting additives serve to reduce detrimental reactive species that transport into the device, are generated during operation, or become reactive during operation due to the presence of excited states or external stimulation by electrical, optical or other means.

Abstract: A method for forming an electronic device having a multilayer structure, comprising: embossing a surface of a substrate so as to depress first and second regions of the substrate relative to at least a third region of the substrate; depositing conductive or semiconductive material from solution onto the first and second regions of the substrate so as to form a first electrode on the first region and a second electrode on the second region, wherein the electrodes are electrically insulated from each other by the third region.

Abstract: A method for forming an electronic device having a multilayer structure, comprising: embossing a surface of a substrate so as to depress first and second regions of the substrate relative to at least a third region of the substrate; depositing conductive or semiconductive material from solution onto the first and second regions of the substrate so as to form a first electrode on the first region and a second electrode on the second region, wherein the electrodes are electrically insulated from each other by the third region.

Abstract: Luminescent ink formulations containing multiple salts selected for good ionic mobility, thermal stability, compatibility with light emitting polymers, good solubility in ink solvents, and electrochemical stability improve the performance of electroluminescent ink. As one salt may not contain all the required properties, a combination of salts is chosen based on the physical and chemical properties of different salts. When multiple salts are incorporated into a light emitting polymer layer, devices show improved lifetime and overall device performance.

Abstract: A conductive electrode paste or ink formulation including a getter removes or reduces the concentration of the unwanted impurities in an electronic device. These reductions may happen during or immediately after the fabrication or sealing of the device, or they may occur after some activation time or event. Water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and residual solvents are gettered.

Abstract: Electronic devices, such as photovoltaic, transistor or doped light-emitting devices, can be manufactured with an air-based manufacturing process and device structure that encapsulates the device with air-stable electrodes and active layers that are reasonably stable in their unexcited state. A sheet of flexible material may act as a substrate and a second sheet of material acts as a cover. Getter materials are included in the encapsulated device, with the getter latent or unreactive during the manufacturing process.

Abstract: A method for forming an organic or partly organic switching device. The method comprises depositing layers of conducing, semiconducting and/or insulating layers by solution processing and direct printing. Then, high-resolution patterns of electroactive polymers are formed by self-aligned formation of a surface energy barrier around a first pattern that repels the solution of a second material.

Abstract: A method for forming an aligned polymer layer, the method comprising: bringing a solution of the polymer dissolved in a solvent into contact with a substrate; and depositing the layer on the substrate by progressively absorbing molecules of the polymer from solution on to the substrate in the presence of a field capable of inducing alignment in the polymer; and separating the substrate from the solution.

Abstract: An electronic device comprising a layer of a polymer having an electrically conductive or semiconductive main chain, wherein the chains of the polymer have an electrically conductive or semiconductive charge transporting end-group at each end thereof, and the polymer in the layer is organised in a lamellar structure having ordered regions, in which the polymer main chains are aligned with respect to each other, and boundary regions which separate the ordered regions and in which the degree of alignment between adjacent polymer main chains is less than that in the ordered regions.

Abstract: A method for forming an aligned layer of a polymer, the method comprising: depositing a film of the polymer from solution in a solvent onto a substrate; and bringing the polymer into alignment by annealing the film at a temperature below the melting temperature of the polymer in isotropic bulk, and cooling the film.

Abstract: A method for forming an aligned polymer layer, the method comprising: depositing a film of the polymer in a solvent; bringing the polymer into alignment whilst some of the solvent remains present in the film; and solidifying the film by removing the solvent from the film.