Manipulating the charge transfer at CuPc/graphene interface by O2 plasma treatments†
Abstract
The manipulation of charge transfer at CuPc/graphene interface has been demonstrated by treating pristine graphene with O2 plasma. As revealed by in situ ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy measurements, a much stronger interfacial charge transfer occurs when the pristine graphene is exposed to O2 plasma prior to the growth of CuPc films, which is attributed to the increased work function of graphene after O2 plasma treatment. Moreover, the highest occupied molecular orbital leading edge of CuPc locates at ∼0.80 eV below substrate Fermi level on O2 plasma treated graphene, whereas it locates at ∼1.10 eV on pristine graphene. Our findings provide detailed information regarding the electronic structure at CuPc/graphene and CuPc/O2 plasma treated graphene interfaces. The increased work function in combination with the relatively smaller energy offset between the highest occupied molecular orbital of CuPc and Fermi level of O2 plasma treated graphene facilitates the extraction of holes at the interface, and hence paves the way for improving the performance of graphene-based organic photovoltaic cells.