Electron / Hole Transport Layer Materials

Charge transport layer (CTL) materials play a crucial role in electronic devices, enabling the separation and transport of charge carriers—electrons and holes. Their functionality and effectiveness are defined by their structure and electronic properties, which offer the following key features:

Efficiently separate and transport charge carriers (electrons or holes).
Performance depends on energy level alignment and material structure.
Organic CTLs are often aromatic and conjugated, enhancing their conductivity.

Electron transport layer (ETL) materials are used within electronic devices to promote electron movement with hole blocking capability. The popular ETL material bathocuproine (BCP) has a wide bandgap, offering excellent exciton blocking properties. Selecting an electron transport layer material with the appropriate LUMO energy level, which aligns well with the cathode, is crucial to maximise charge transport efficiency.

Hole transport layer (HTL) materials, on the other hand, are optimized for transporting holes while blocking electrons from reaching the anode. The common HTL material spiro-OMeTAD exhibits a high-lying LUMO energy level and excellent hole mobility. Both are key features of effective HTL materials.

Materials may also inject charge carriers into the electronic device. These layers are particularly important in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), where the electron affinity of the materials is typically lower than in other organic devices. Including either or both charge injecting layers can often result in decreased device operating voltages.

Electron injection layers (EIL) aim to significantly reduce the work function around the cathode.
Hole injection layers (HIL) aim to reduce the energy barrier between the anode and other layers within the device.

These molecules are suitable for OLED applications and in the fabrication of other organic electronic devices such as OFETs, OPVs and perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Maximize your device efficency by fabricating and testing new devices in a glove box environment.

Browse Charge Transport Layer Materials

Filter by transport layer: electron transport / hole blocking layer hole transport / electron blocking layer electron injection layer hole injection layer

Filter by purification technique: sublimed

Bathocuproine (BCP)

CAS 4733-39-5

From $312

TPBi

CAS 192198-85-9

From $273

BPhen (Bathophenanthroline)

CAS 1662-01-7

From $260

8-Quinolinolato lithium (Liq)

CAS 25387-93-3

From $195

Alq3

CAS 2085-33-8

From $273

OXD-7

CAS 138372-67-5

From $234

TAZ, 3-(Biphenyl-4-yl)-5-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-4-phenyl-4H-1,2,4-triazole

CAS 150405-69-9

From $228

PPDN

CAS 215611-93-1

From $416

TSPO1

CAS 1286708-86-8

From $338

BAlq

CAS 146162-54-1

Price $312

Resources and Support

Self-Assembled Monolayers (SAMs) vs PEDOT:PSS

Two commonly used materials for hole selective layer (HSL) or hole transport layer (HTL) are PEDOT:PSS (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate) and self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). Each offers distinct advantages and limitations that impact their effectiveness in solar cells.