Stability of optical and electroluminescence properties of a semiconducting polymer over a decade

Optical and electrical properties of conjugated polymers are often strongly affected by aging, not only during operation but also during storage, because of the variety of chemical degradation pathways available. Here we report the properties of a phenylated poly(arylene vinylene), after a decade of storage in powder form, in air, at room temperature, and in the dark. We find that the values for both the photoluminescence efficiency (60% or higher) and the electroluminescence are comparable with those reported for a similar but (then) freshly prepared batch of material, measured over 13 years ago. The optical properties of this material relevant for display applications are thus essentially stable over more than a decade for storage in the dark. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.