Studies on the Fluorescence of Tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline)Aluminum and the Effect of Light Exposure

Abstract

Organic Tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum (Alq₃) thin films, one of the most widely used electron transport as well as emissive materials in the organic electroluminescent (EL) devices, have been deposited on glass substrates by thermal evaporation process. The deposited Alq₃ thin films were exposed to light in the normal ambient. The effect of light exposure on the fluorescence of Alq₃ sample and formation of luminescent quencher has been studied using cyclic voltammeter and 3D contour emission spectroscopy. It is observed that the luminescent quencher can be formed in the Alq₃ during the light exposure, quenching the emission of light exposed sample. It is found that the energy of excitons in the Alq₃ molecule in the light exposed Alq₃ thin films can be non-radiatively transferred to its neighbouring luminescent quencher, quenching the emission of light exposed Alq₃ thin films.

Keywords:

• 3D Contour emission
• Cyclic-voltammeter
• Luminescent quencher
• Tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

One of the authors, K. Thangaraju, acknowledges Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of India, New Delhi for the award of Senior Research Fellow to carry out this work.