Pathway to high throughput, low cost indium-free transparent electrodes

A roll-to-roll compatible, high throughput process is reported for the production of highly conductive, transparent planar electrode comprising an interwoven network of silver nanowires and single walled carbon nanotubes imbedded into poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). The planar electrode has a sheet resistance of between 4 and 7 Ω □−1 and a transmission of >86% between 800 and 400 nm with a figure of merit of between 344 and 400 Ω−1. The nanocomposite electrode is highly flexible and retains a low sheet resistance after bending at a radius of 5 mm for up to 500 times without loss. Organic photovoltaic devices containing the planar nanocomposite electrodes had efficiencies of ∼90% of control devices that used indium tin oxide as the transparent conducting electrode.

Supramolecular ordering in oligothiophene−fullerene monolayers

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) of monolayers comprising oligothiophene and fullerene molecular semiconductors reveals details of their molecular-scale phase separation and ordering with potential implications for the design of organic electronic devices, in particular future bulk heterojunction solar cells. Prochiral terthienobenzenetricarboxylic acid (TTBTA) self-assembles at the solution/graphite interface into either a porous chicken wire network linked by dimeric hydrogen bonding associations of COOH groups (R22(8)) or a close-packed network linked in a novel hexameric hydrogen bonding motif (R66(24)). Analysis of high-resolution STM images shows that the chicken wire phase is racemically mixed, whereas the close-packed phase is enantiomerically pure. The cavities of the chicken wire structure can efficiently host C60 molecules, which form ordered domains with either one, two, or three fullerenes per cavity. The observed monodisperse filling and long-range co-alignment of fullerenes is described in terms of a combination of an electrostatic effect and the commensurability between the graphite and molecular network, which leads to differentiation of otherwise identical adsorption sites in the pores.

Materials and methods for encapsulation of OPV: A review

Amongst alternative energy sources, photovoltaics hold a considerable promise for it is a plentiful, easily accessible and renewable source of power. Yet, the overall cost of generating electricity using the most advanced silicon based solar cells remains high compared to both traditional and other renewable power generation approaches. Organic thin film photovoltaics are an emerging economically competitive photovoltaic technology that combines manufacturing adaptability, low-cost processing and a lightweight, flexible device end-product. At present, however, commercial use of organic photovoltaics is hindered by low conversion efficiency and poor overall stability of the devices. Encapsulation with high barrier performance materials and structures is one of the key ways to address these issues and improve device lifetime. This paper will briefly outline the current understanding of the major degradation mechanisms, their interrelation and the internal and external factors that initiate these processes. Then, the paper will provide an overview of currently available encapsulant materials, their utility in limiting chemical (water vapor and oxygen penetration) and mechanical degradation within individual layers and device as a whole, and potential drawbacks to their application in organic photovoltaic devices.

Covalent Grafting of Polydimethylsiloxane over Surface-Modified Alumina Nanoparticles

The synthesis of ``smart structured'' conducting polymers and the fabrication of devices using them are important areas of research. However, conducting polymeric materials that are used in devices are susceptible to degradation due to oxygen and moisture. Thus, protection of such devices to ensure long-term stability is always desirable. Polymer nanocomposites are promising materials for the encapsulation of such devices. Therefore, it is important to develop suitable polymer nanocomposites as encapsulation materials to protect such devices. This work presents a technique based on grafting between surface-decorated gamma-alumina nanoparticles and polymer to make nanocomposites that can be used for the encapsulation of devices. Alumina was functionalized with allyltrimethoxysilane and used to conjugate polymer molecules (hydride-terminated polydimethylsiloxane) through a platinum-catalyzed hydrosilylation reaction. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray-photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the surface chemistry of the nanoparticles after surface modification. The grafting density of alkene groups on the surface of the modified nanoparticles was calculated using CHN and thermogravimetric analyses. The thermal stability of the composites was also evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis. The nanoindentation technique was used to analyze the mechanical characteristics of the composites. The densities of the composites were evaluated using a density gradient column, and the morphology of the composites was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. All of our studies reveal that the composites have good thermal stability and mechanical flexibility and, thus, can potentially be used for the encapsulation of organic photovoltaic devices.

Synthesis and Self-Assembly of Donor-Acceptor-Donor Based Oligothiophenes and Their Optoelectronic Properties

In this work, the synthesis of an oligothiophene having a donor acceptor donor (D-A-D) chromophore with hydrogen bonding groups is described. The D-A-D molecule was demonstrated to self-organize via intermolecular H-bonding between barbituric acid units. Interactions between the oligothiophene subunits were also found to be important, affording nanoribbons that could be observed by atomic force and transmission electron microscopy. The applicability of the oligothiophene for organic electronic applications was investigated by fabricating organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and organic photovoltaic devices. The OFET measurements yielded p-type mobility of 7 x 10(-7) cm(2)/(Vs), and when blended with C(60)-PCBM, the photovoltaic efficiency was observed to be 0.18%.

Electroluminescence from GaN-polymer heterojunction

Inorganic and organic semiconductor devices are generally viewed as distinct and separate technologies. Herein we report a hybrid inorganic-organic light-emitting device employing the use of an air stable polymer, Poly (9,9-dioctylfluorene-alt-benzothiadiazole) as a p-type layer to create a heterojunction, avoiding the use of p-type GaN, which is difficult to grow, being prone to the complex and expensive fabrication techniques that characterises it. I-V characteristics of the GaN-polymer heterojunction fabricated by us exhibits excellent rectification. The luminescence onset voltage is typically about 8-10 V. The device emits yellowish white electroluminescence with CIE coordinates (0.42, 0.44). (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Layer-by-Layer Assembly of Nafion on Surlyn with Ultrahigh Water Vapor Barrier

A layer-by-layer approach was used for the fabrication of multilayer films for ultra high gas barrier applications. The ultra high gas barrier material was designed by incorporating Nafion layer in between bilayers of poly(ethylene imine) and poly(acrylic acid) on a Surlyn substrate. When the barrier film with self-assembled Nafion is exposed to the moist environment, Nafion absorbs and desorbs water molecules simultaneously, thereby reducing the ingress of moisture in to the film. In order to study the effect of Nafion, the fabricated barrier materials with and without the presence of Nafion were tested for water vapor barrier properties. The barrier films were further used for encapsulating organic photovoltaic devices and were evaluated for their potential use in barrier applications. The devices encapsulated with the films containing Nafion exhibited better performance when subjected to accelerated aging conditions. Therefore, this study demonstrates the effectiveness of self-assembled Nafion in reducing the water vapor permeability by nearly five orders of magnitude and in increasing the lifetimes of organic devices by similar to 22 times under accelerated weathering conditions.

吡唑啉衍生物有机电致发光器件中激基复合物的发射

以两种吡唑啉衍生物为空穴传输材料(HTM)和BBOT为电子传输材料组成双层器件，获得了相对于组成材料的荧光光谱红移和宽化的电致发光．双层器件和HTM：BBOT等摩尔混蒸薄膜的光致发光及电致发光测量表明，该谱带来自HTM／BBOT界面激基复合物的发射，根据器件的能级图，激基复合物的类型为BBOT的激发态BBOT^

Nanoengineering coaxial carbon nanotube-dual-polymer heterostructures.

We describe studies of new nanostructured materials consisting of carbon nanotubes wrapped in sequential coatings of two different semiconducting polymers, namely, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly(9,9'-dioctylfluorene-co-benzothiadiazole) (F8BT). Using absorption spectroscopy and steady-state and ultrafast photoluminescence measurements, we demonstrate the role of the different layer structures in controlling energy levels and charge transfer in both solution and film samples. By varying the simple solution processing steps, we can control the ordering and proportions of the wrapping polymers in the solid state. The resulting novel coaxial structures open up a variety of new applications for nanotube blends and are particularly promising for implementation into organic photovoltaic devices. The carbon nanotube template can also be used to optimize both the electronic properties and morphology of polymer composites in a much more controlled fashion than achieved previously, offering a route to producing a new generation of polymer nanostructures.

Optical investigations of the effect of solvent and thermal annealing on the optoelectronic properties of Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) films

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is one of the most promising conducting polymers that can be used as transparent electrode or as buffer layer for organic electronic devices. However, when used as an electrode, its conductivity has to be optimized either by the addition of solvents or by post-deposition processing. In this work, we investigate the effect of the addition of the polar solvent dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) to an aqueous PEDOT:PSS solution on its optical and electrical properties by the implementation of the Drude model for the analysis of the measured pseudo-dielectric function by Spectroscopic Ellipsometry from the near infrared to the visible-far ultraviolet spectral range. The results show that the addition of DMSO increases significantly the film conductivity, which reaches a maximum value at an optimum DMSO concentration as it has confirmed by experimentally measured conductivity values. The post-deposition thermal annealing has been found to have a smaller effect on the film conductivity. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

微图案化新方法及在有机光电器件加工中的应用

有机半导体材料正以其光电性能优异、生产成本低廉，加工工艺简单，选材范围宽广，性质调节方便，易于制成大面积器件，与柔性基底结合性好对器件适度弯曲或扭曲而光电性能无明显改变等显著优点，吸引了世界范围内的目光。新的加工方法在有机微电子器件产生、发展和应用中发挥着技术推动力的作用。而从传统的硅基材料为基础的无机微电子中发展起来的光刻工艺，由于制作成本非常昂贵，工艺十分复杂，对环境要求苛刻，不适宜大面积生产，很难制作尺寸小于100nm的图形，而且大多数有机材料的光电性能在光刻胶、显影液等溶液中会大幅的下降，所以不适于有机器件的加工，因此目前开发适合有机材料的廉价大面积加工方法成为研究的焦点。本论文在软刻蚀技术基础上，以机械瓤附力或毛细力为图案化驱动力提出了多种有机电子器件加工方法，并取得了初步的结果。主要有三种方法：金属传递打印、热剥离、冰模板方法。（1）利用聚合物粘弹性随温度和饱和溶剂处理时间变化的规律，通过调控金属薄膜和模板及金属薄膜和聚合物薄膜之间界面相互作用力，发展出以机械粘附力作为图案化驱动力的金属传递打印（MTP）方法。它可以适用于多种材料例如Au、AI等金属和PS、PMMA等多种聚合物。这种方法的分辨率目前在5协m左右。与其它打印技术相比MTP的一个显著的优点是它可以形成多层结构，这种结构在微电子电路（如欧姆接触等方面）中有着巨大的潜在应用价值。为展示金属传递打印在有机电子器件加工中的应用，我们将MTP用于有机场效应晶体管（OFETs）的加工，并在-3cm*3cm的Si片上形成大面积晶体管器件。这些器件的场效应迁移率-0.0193士0.0038cm2V-1s-1。（2）发展了一种用环氧树脂模板为模板图案化的方法一热剥离（Hotlift-off）。它是一种利用机械薪附力为图案化驱动力的方法，所以适用材料范围非常广泛，既可以加工有机电子器件的有源部分一有机半导体材料，也可以加工有机电子器件的金属电极部分，是一种多功能的方法。我们将热剥离用于有机晶体管和有机发光二极机管的加工。这些器件的性能与用其它方法加工的器件性能相当。（3）我们用冰为模板实现了聚合物的图案化，因为大多数聚合物溶液对冰模板不会产生溶解、溶胀作用，所以这种方法适用于许多聚合物材料如P3HT、PvK和PMMA等。这种方法与其它使用PDMS、硅片或金属为模板的方法相比最突出的优点是冰模板非常容易被除去。所以使用冰模板方法可以加工出多种别的方法无法胜任的聚合物结构如多元聚合物结构，自由无支撑的聚合物结构，聚合物微沟道。以上这些图案化技术具有快速大面积图案化、可在开放的空气环境中操作的优点，为发展适宜于未来塑性电子器件卷帘式（reel to reel）的加工过程提供新思路，促进了塑性电子学的发展。

Manipulating charge-transfer character with electron-withdrawing main-group moieties for the color tuning of iridium electrophosphors

A new and synthetically versatile strategy has been developed for the phosphorescence color tuning of cyclometalated iridium phosphors by simple tailoring of the phenyl ring of ppy (Hppy=2-phenylpyridine) with various main-group moieties in [Ir(ppy-X)(2)(acac)] (X=B(Mes)(2), SiPh3, GePh3, NPh2, POPh2, OPh, SPh, SO2Ph). This can be achieved by shifting the charge-transfer character from the pyridyl groups in some traditional iridium ppy-type complexes to the electron-withdrawing main-group moieties and these assignments were supported by theoretical calculations.

Effect of ancillary ligands on the properties of heteroleptic green iridium dendrimers functionalized with carbazole dendrons

A series of heteroleptic green iridium dendrimers functionalized with carbazole dendrons, such as G2(pic) and G2(acac), have been synthesized, in which picolinic acid and acetylacetone are used as the ancillary ligands, respectively. Compared with the corresponding homoleptic iridium dendrimer G2 (8%), these heteroleptic ones can be prepared under mild conditions with total yields as high as 55-67%. Both the dendrimer G2(pic) and G2(acac) display bright green emissions with photoluminescence quantum yields higher than 0.80 in toluene solution. As a result, a maximum external quantum efficiency of 7.1% (21.0 cd/A) for G2(pic) and 7.7% (25.8 cd/A) for G2(acac) has been realized based on non-doped device configuration. The state-of-art performance indicates that the heteroleptic dendrimers can be promising candidates used for non-doped electrophosphorescent devices, especially when the ease of synthesis in a large scale is considered.

Enhancement of stability of polymer light-emitting diodes by post annealing

We investigate the effect of thermal annealing before and after cathode deposition on the stability of polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) based on green fluorescent polyfluorene derivative. The annealed PLEDs exhibit improved charge transport and red-shift emission compared to the as-fabricated device. The stability of the PLEDs is largely enhanced by post-annealing before and after Ca deposition, which is attributed to the enhanced charge transport and the intimate contact between the cathode and the emissive layer.