A 3D-printed Chamber for Organic Optoelectronic Device Degradation Testing

Summary

Here, we present a protocol for the design, manufacture, and use of a simple, versatile 3D-printed and controlled atmospheric chamber for the optical and electrical characterization of air-sensitive organic optoelectronic devices.

Abstract

In this manuscript, we outline the manufacture of a small, portable, easy-to-use atmospheric chamber for organic and perovskite optoelectronic devices, using 3D-printing. As these types of devices are sensitive to moisture and oxygen, such a chamber can aid researchers in characterizing the electronic and stability properties. The chamber is intended to be used as a temporary, reusable, and stable environment with controlled properties (including humidity, gas introduction, and temperature). It can be used to protect air-sensitive materials or to expose them to contaminants in a controlled way for degradation studies. To characterize the properties of the chamber, we outline a simple procedure to determine the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) using relative humidity as measured by a standard humidity sensor. This standard operating procedure, using a 50% infill density of polylactic acid (PLA), results in a chamber that can be used for weeks without any significant loss of device properties. The versatility and ease of use of the chamber allows it to be adapted to any characterization condition that requires a compact-controlled atmosphere.

Introduction

Organic and perovskite optoelectronic devices, solar cells, and light-emitting diodes based on π-conjugated semiconducting organic molecules and organometal halides are a rapidly growing field of research. Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are already a major technological element in lighting and displays¹, and organic photovoltaics have begun to achieve efficiencies that make them competitive with amorphous silicon². The recent rapid advancement of perovskite-based devices for light absorbing and light-emitting applications^3,4,

Protocol

1. The 3D Print Chamber Parts

Note: All printer preparation, “slicer” software settings, and print parameters were specific to the printer indicated in the Table of Materials. There is a wide array of 3D printers, each with their own set of preparation steps and optimal parameters. There is also a wide array of colors possible for the polymer filament used for the printed parts. It is not required to use the same plastic for each part.

1. Select the corresponding .stl files based on the desired chamber configuration.
   Note: These configurations are detailed in Figure 1, along with ....

Results

Current-voltage Measurements:

This chamber is designed to allow for the testing of an air-sensitive diode device, such as an organic or perovskite solar cell or a light-emitting diode. It can act as a reusable, temporary encapsulation or as a method of introducing contaminants to perform controlled degradation testing. The current density-voltage (JV) curves shown here were measured using a ZIF test board attach.......

Discussion

The critical steps in recreating this experiment include the printing of the chambers to avoid cracks, gaps, or poor in-fill characteristics which can decrease the WVTR, sealing the chamber to prevent any ingress of moisture and oxygen by tightening the KF50 clamp to achieve a full sealing between the top and bottom chambers, using a vacuum-rated low-pressure epoxy around the contact pins or any feedthroughs to prevent any leaking, and creating a seal between the sample and the top chamber using a proper O-ring placement.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
ORION DELTA DESKTOP 3D PRINTER RTP	SeeMeCNC	87999	Known in Report As: 3D Printer
1.75 mm PLA Filament	SeeMeCNC	50241	Known in Report As: PLA
Somos® WaterShed XC 11122 chamber	Somos	printed at Custom Prototypes, Toronto.	https://www.dsm.com/products/somos/en_US/products/offerings-somos-water-shed.html Known in Report As: Water resistant polymer
CURA	CURA		https://ultimaker.com/en/products/cura-software Known in Report As: slicing software
Soldering iron with 600° F tip	Weller	WTCPT
Xtralien X100 Source Measure Unit	Ossila	E561	Known in Report As: SMU
ZIF Test Board for Pixelated Anode Substrates	Ossila	E221	Known in Report As: Zero insetion force/ZIF Test Board;
BNC Cable
Generic USB A - B
Generic USB A - Micro
#12 O-Ring			Source unkown Known in Report As: o-ring
116 Butyl O-Ring	Global Rubber Products	116 VI70	Bought in-store Known in Report As: o-ring
Retaining ring	McMaster	NA	3D printed in-house
Bottom Chamber	McMaster	NA	3D printed in-house
Top Chamber	McMaster	NA	3D printed in-house
KF50 Cast Clamp (Aluminum)	Kurt J. Lesker	QF50-200-C
KF50 Centering Ring (Aluminum)	Kurt J. Lesker	QF50-200-BRB
Sn60/Pb40 Solder	MG Chemicals	4895-2270
#4-40 x 3/16" machine screw			Hardware store
#4-40 IntThrd Brass TaperSingleVane Insert For Thermoplastic	Fastenal	11125984	Fastenal requires to be affiliated with company/university Known in Report As: #4-40 brass tapered threaded insert
Varian Torr Seal Vacuum Equipment High Vacuum Epoxy	Vacuum Products Canada Inc.		Known in Report As: low-pressure epoxy
Smiths Interconnect/IDI Contact Probes HEADED RADIUS	Mouser Electornics	818-S-100-D-3.5-G	Known in Report As: pogo pin
Smiths Interconnect/IDI Contact Probes Receptacle Solder Cup	Mouser Electornics	818-R-100-SC	Known in Report As: solder cup
1/4" Teflon Tubing			Hardware store
Teflon tape			Hardware store
1/4" Tube x 1/8" Male NPT Nickel Plated Brass Push-to-Connect Connector	Fastenal	442064	Not the same ones used for this study, but are fuctionally equivalent Known in Report As: push-to-connect pneumatic connector
1/8" NPT Tap and T-wrench			Hardware store
1/4" Tube Push-to-Connect Manually Operated Valves	Fluidline	7910-56-00	Known in Report As: manually operated push-to-connect valves
Adafruit DHT22 Humidity Sensor (small)	Digi-Key	385	Known in Report As: internal humidity sensor
Adafruit DHT22 Humidity Sensor (large)	Digi-Key		Known in Report As: external humidity sensor
Arduino Uno	Arduino
Glovebox environment
10 kOhm Resistor
Oscilla Xtralien Scientific Python IDE	Oscilla		https://www.ossila.com/pages/xtralien-scientific-python Known in Report As: Python IDE