We investigate the functionalization of gold anodes with azobenzene-based self-assembled monolayers (AZO-SAM) and the influence of such functionalization on the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of polyfluorene-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Photoluminescence and electroluminescence measurements show that the AZO-SAMs do not modify the shape of the emission spectrum of the active layer. Instead, AZO-SAMs enhance the EQE of LEDs by an order of magnitude (from 0.018% to 0.18%) and decrease the turn-on voltage from 7.9 V to 6.2 V by reducing the injection barrier at the anode, thus promoting a better balance between hole and electron populations in the active layer.
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Defined as the voltage at which the luminance is 0.2 cd/m2 twice the noise level (0.1 cd/m2).