Water/alcohol-soluble cathode interlayers are widely utilized in organic electronic devices. However, the mechanism by which acetic acid (AcOH) facilitates the solubility of neutral cathode interlayers in water/alcohol remains unclear. This paper focuses on the AcOH-induced dissolution mechanism of neutral cathode interlayer materials and establishes quantitative relationships for chemical reactions. It was found that AcOH could react acid–base with the amino groups of PFN or PDIN, resulting in the formation of trace amounts of quaternary ammonium salts, which ultimately enhance the solubility of PFN and PDIN in methanol. Additionally, this study clarifies the debate about the role of neutral cathode interlayers in organic electronic devices: It is primarily the unprotonated groups of water/alcohol-soluble cathode interlayers that play a critical role in interfacial modification rather than the protonated groups produced by postacid reaction, which lays an important theoretical foundation for the development of high-performance interfacial materials.

中文翻译：

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揭示醇溶中间层的 AcOH 诱导溶解机制

水/醇溶性阴极中间层广泛应用于有机电子器件中。然而，乙酸（AcOH）促进中性阴极中间层在水/酒精中溶解的机制仍不清楚。本文重点研究了AcOH诱导中性阴极中间层材料的溶解机理，并建立了化学反应的定量关系。研究发现AcOH可以与PFN或PDIN的氨基发生酸碱反应，形成微量的季铵盐，最终增强PFN和PDIN在甲醇中的溶解度。此外，这项研究澄清了关于中性阴极中间层在有机电子器件中的作用的争论：在界面改性中起关键作用的主要是水溶性/醇溶性阴极中间层的非质子化基团，而不是后酸反应产生的质子化基团。 ，为高性能界面材料的开发奠定了重要的理论基础。