Solid state polymer light-emitting electrochemical cells: Recent developments

Solid state polymer light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) offer a new approach to light-emitting devices fabricated from luminescent conjugated polymers. In LECs, the conjugated polymers are electrochemically p-doped near the anode side and n-doped near the cathode side; a light emitting p-n junction is formed between the doped regions. The admired solid electrolyte provides the necessary ionic conductivity and dopant ions. In this article, recent progress in both the operating mechanism and the device performanceare is reviewed. New materials suitable for the active polymer medium and new device architecture for LECs are presented.