UV exposure and photon degradation of Alq3 powders

Tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum (Alq3) is a widely used light emitting material. It is also used as an electron transporting layer in organic light emitting devices (OLEDs). Degradation is, however, a major problem in these devices. The device performance is affected by parameters such as air, moisture and light exposure [1,2]. In this work the effect of photon degradation of Alq3 in air is investigated. Alq3 phosphor powder was synthesized using a co-precipitation method and recrystalized in acetone. The structure of the sample was determined by using x-ray diffraction (XRD). The averaging particle size estimated from the broadened XRD peaks using Scherrer's equation was 40±4 nm in diameter. The excitation photoluminescence data that was collected correspond well to the absorption data. To study the photon degradation, the sample was irradiated with an UV lamp for ∼330h. The emission data was collected and the change in photoluminescence intensity with time was monitored.