The recent flourish in activities, both in academia and industry, in research on polymer-based light emitting devices has prompted a series of studies of the surfaces of conjugated polymers, and the early stages of interface formation when metals are vapour-deposited on these conjugated polymer surfaces. The summary of works presented here is, to a great extent, the result of a long and comprehensive co-operation between both the Laboratory of Surface Physics and Chemistry, and the Molecular Theory group within the Laboratory for Theoretical Physics, at the Department of Physics (IFM) at Linköping University, Sweden, and the Laboratory for Chemistry of Novel Materials and the Center for Research on Molecular Electronics and Photonics, at the University of Mons-Hainaut, Belgium. The results brought forth within this collaboration represent the product of a comprehensive combined experimental–theoretical approach to the study of the electronic and chemical structure of conjugated polymer surfaces and interfaces. The scope of the output of such a combined approach is greater than the sum of the (theory and experimental) parts. Following about 10 years' work, we were asked to compile a summary of the highlights of our studies in this area. This monograph represents a response to that request.

For generation of this book, we acknowledge specific support from the Commission of the European Union within the Network of Excellence on Organic Materials for Electronics NEOME). For participation in these activities, we acknowledge Commission support through the SCIENCE program (Project 0661 POLYSURF), the Brite/EuRam program (Project 7762 Poly LED), and the ESPRIT program (Project 8013 LEDFOS).