1
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Patel BB, Feng H, Loo WS, Snyder CR, Eom C, Murphy J, Sunday DF, Nealey PF, DeLongchamp DM. Self-Assembly of Hierarchical High-χ Fluorinated Block Copolymers with an Orthogonal Smectic-within-Lamellae 3 nm Sublattice and Vertical Surface Orientation. ACS NANO 2024; 18:11311-11322. [PMID: 38623826 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c00664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Hierarchical structure-within-structure assemblies offer a route toward increasingly complex and multifunctional materials while pushing the limits of block copolymer self-assembly. We present a detailed study of the self-assembly of a series of fluorinated high-χ block copolymers (BCPs) prepared via postmodification of a single poly(styrene)-block-poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (S-b-G) parent polymer with the fluorinated alkylthiol pendent groups containing 1, 6, or 8 fluorinated carbons (termed trifluoro-ethanethiol (TFET), perfluoro-octylthiol (PFOT), and perfluoro-decylthiol (PFDT), respectively). Bulk X-ray scattering of thermally annealed samples demonstrates hierarchical molecular assembly with phase separation between the two blocks and within the fluorinated block. The degree of ordering within the fluorinated block is highly sensitive to synthetic variation; a lamellar sublattice was formed for S-b-GPFOT and S-b-GPFDT. Thermal analyses of S-b-GPFOT reveal that the fluorinated block exhibits liquid crystal-like ordering. The complex thin-film self-assembly behavior of an S-b-GPFOT polymer was investigated using real-space (atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy) and reciprocal-space (resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSoXS), grazing incidence small- and wide-angle scattering) measurements. After thermal annealing in nitrogen or vacuum, films thicker than 1.5 times the primary lattice spacing exhibit a 90-degree grain boundary, exposing a thin layer of vertical lamellae at the free interface, while exhibiting horizontal lamellae on the preferential (polystyrene brush) substrate. RSoXS measurements reveal the near-perfect orthogonality between the primary and sublattice orientations, demonstrating hierarchical patterning at the nanoscale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bijal B Patel
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Hongbo Feng
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Whitney S Loo
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin─Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Chad R Snyder
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Christopher Eom
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Julia Murphy
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Daniel F Sunday
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Paul F Nealey
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Dean M DeLongchamp
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
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2
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Grabner D, Pickett PD, McAfee T, Collins BA. Molecular Weight-Independent "Polysoap" Nanostructure Characterized via In Situ Resonant Soft X-ray Scattering. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:7444-7455. [PMID: 38552143 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Studying polymer micelle structure and loading dynamics under environmental conditions is critical for nanocarrier applications but challenging due to a lack of in situ nanoprobes. Here, the structure and loading of amphiphilic polyelectrolyte copolymer micelles, formed by 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) and n-dodecyl acrylamide (DDAM), were investigated using a multimodal approach centered around in situ resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSoXS). We observe aqueous micelles formed from polymers of wide-ranging molecular weights and aqueous concentrations. Despite no measurable critical micelle concentration (CMC), structural analyses point toward multimeric structures for most molecular weights, with the lowest molecular weight micelles containing mixed coronas and forming loose micelle clusters that enhance hydrocarbon uptake. The sizes of the micelle substructures are independent of both the concentration and molecular weight. Combining these results with a measured molecular weight-invariant surface charge and zeta potential strengthens the link between the nanoparticle size and ionic charge in solution that governs the polysoap micelle structure. Such control would be critical for nanocarrier applications, such as drug delivery and water remediation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devin Grabner
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
| | - Phillip D Pickett
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39406, United States
| | - Terry McAfee
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Brian A Collins
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
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3
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Rongpipi S, Barnes WJ, Siemianowski O, Del Mundo JT, Wang C, Freychet G, Zhernenkov M, Anderson CT, Gomez EW, Gomez ED. Measuring calcium content in plants using NEXAFS spectroscopy. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1212126. [PMID: 37662163 PMCID: PMC10468975 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1212126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Calcium is important for the growth and development of plants. It serves crucial functions in cell wall and cell membrane structure and serves as a secondary messenger in signaling pathways relevant to nutrient and immunity responses. Thus, measuring calcium levels in plants is important for studies of plant biology and for technology development in food, agriculture, energy, and forest industries. Often, calcium in plants has been measured through techniques such as atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS), inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and electrophysiology. These techniques, however, require large sample sizes, chemical extraction of samples or have limited spatial resolution. Here, we used near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy at the calcium L- and K-edges to measure the calcium to carbon mass ratio with spatial resolution in plant samples without requiring chemical extraction or large sample sizes. We demonstrate that the integrated absorbance at the calcium L-edge and the edge jump in the fluorescence yield at the calcium K-edge can be used to quantify the calcium content as the calcium mass fraction, and validate this approach with onion epidermal peels and ICP-MS. We also used NEXAFS to estimate the calcium mass ratio in hypocotyls of a model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, which has a cell wall composition that is similar to that of onion epidermal peels. These results show that NEXAFS spectroscopy performed at the calcium edge provides an approach to quantify calcium levels within plants, which is crucial for understanding plant physiology and advancing plant-based materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sintu Rongpipi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - William J. Barnes
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Oskar Siemianowski
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Joshua T. Del Mundo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Cheng Wang
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Guillaume Freychet
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, United States
| | - Mikhail Zhernenkov
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, United States
| | - Charles T. Anderson
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Esther W. Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Enrique D. Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
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4
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Bagchi K, Emeršič T, Martínez-González JA, de Pablo JJ, Nealey PF. Functional soft materials from blue phase liquid crystals. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadh9393. [PMID: 37494446 PMCID: PMC10371026 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh9393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Blue phase (BP) liquid crystals are chiral fluids wherein millions of molecules self-assemble into cubic lattices that are on the order of hundred nanometers. As the unit cell sizes of BPs are comparable to the wavelength of light, they exhibit selective Bragg reflections in the visible. The exploitation of the photonic properties of BPs for technological applications is made possible through photopolymerization, a process that renders mechanical robustness and thermal stability. We review here the preparation and characterization of stimuli-responsive, polymeric photonic crystals based on BPs. We highlight recent studies that demonstrate the promise that polymerized BP photonic crystals hold for colorimetric sensing and dynamic light control. We review using Landau-de Gennes simulations for predicting the self-assembly of BPs and the potential for using theory to guide experimental design. Finally, opportunities for using BPs to synthesize new soft materials, such as highly structured polymer meshes, are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kushal Bagchi
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Tadej Emeršič
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - José A Martínez-González
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Parque Chapultepec 1570, San Luis Potosí 78210 SLP, Mexico
| | - Juan J de Pablo
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, USA
| | - Paul F Nealey
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, USA
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5
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Ferron T, Fiori ME, Ediger MD, DeLongchamp DM, Sunday DF. Composition Dictates Molecular Orientation at the Heterointerfaces of Vapor-Deposited Glasses. JACS AU 2023; 3:1931-1938. [PMID: 37502150 PMCID: PMC10369407 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.3c00168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Physical vapor deposition (PVD) can prepare organic glasses with a preferred molecular orientation. The relationships between deposition conditions and orientation have been extensively investigated in the film bulk. The role of interfaces on the structure is less well understood and remains a key knowledge gap, as the interfacial region can govern glass stability and optoelectronic properties. Robust experimental characterization has remained elusive due to complexities in interrogating molecular organization in amorphous, organic materials. Polarized soft X-rays are sensitive to both the composition and the orientation of transition dipole moments in the film, making them uniquely suited to probe molecular orientation in amorphous soft matter. Here, we utilize polarized resonant soft X-ray reflectivity (P-RSoXR) to simultaneously depth profile the composition and molecular orientation of a bilayer prepared through the physical vapor deposition of 1,4-di-[4-(N,N-diphenyl)amino]styryl-benzene (DSA-Ph) on a film of aluminum-tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) (Alq3). The bulk orientation of the DSA-Ph layer is controlled by varying deposition conditions. Utilizing P-RSoXR to depth profile the films enables determination of both the bulk orientation of DSA-Ph and the orientation near the Alq3 interface. At the Alq3 surface, DSA-Ph always lies with its long axis parallel to the interface, before transitioning into the bulk orientation. This is likely due to the lower mobility and higher glass transition of Alq3, as the first several monolayers of DSA-Ph deposited on Alq3 appear to behave as a blend. We further show how orientation at the interface correlates with the bulk behavior of a codeposited glass of similar blend composition, demonstrating a straightforward approach to predicting molecular orientation at heterointerfaces. This work provides key insights into how molecules orient during vapor deposition and offers methods to predict this property, a critical step toward controlling interfacial behavior in soft matter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas
J. Ferron
- National
Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Marie E. Fiori
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin−Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - M. D. Ediger
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin−Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Dean M. DeLongchamp
- National
Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Daniel F. Sunday
- National
Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
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6
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Barbour A, Cai YQ, Fluerasu A, Freychet G, Fukuto M, Gang O, Gann E, Laasch R, Li R, Ocko BM, Tsai EHR, Wąsik P, Wiegart L, Yager KG, Yang L, Zhang H, Zhang Y. X-ray Scattering for Soft Matter Research at NSLS-II. SYNCHROTRON RADIATION NEWS 2023; 36:24-30. [PMID: 38046894 PMCID: PMC10688614 DOI: 10.1080/08940886.2023.2207449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Andi Barbour
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Yong Q Cai
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Andrei Fluerasu
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | | | - Masafumi Fukuto
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Oleg Gang
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Eliot Gann
- Materials Measurement Science Division, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Ricarda Laasch
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Ruipeng Li
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Benjamin M Ocko
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Esther H R Tsai
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Patryk Wąsik
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Lutz Wiegart
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Kevin G Yager
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Lin Yang
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Honghu Zhang
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
| | - Yugang Zhang
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
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7
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Saurabh K, Dudenas PJ, Gann E, Reynolds VG, Mukherjee S, Sunday D, Martin TB, Beaucage PA, Chabinyc ML, DeLongchamp DM, Krishnamurthy A, Ganapathysubramanian B. CyRSoXS: a GPU-accelerated virtual instrument for polarized resonant soft X-ray scattering. J Appl Crystallogr 2023; 56:868-883. [PMID: 37284258 PMCID: PMC10241048 DOI: 10.1107/s1600576723002790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Polarized resonant soft X-ray scattering (P-RSoXS) has emerged as a powerful synchrotron-based tool that combines the principles of X-ray scattering and X-ray spectroscopy. P-RSoXS provides unique sensitivity to molecular orientation and chemical heterogeneity in soft materials such as polymers and biomaterials. Quantitative extraction of orientation information from P-RSoXS pattern data is challenging, however, because the scattering processes originate from sample properties that must be represented as energy-dependent three-dimensional tensors with heterogeneities at nanometre to sub-nanometre length scales. This challenge is overcome here by developing an open-source virtual instrument that uses graphical processing units (GPUs) to simulate P-RSoXS patterns from real-space material representations with nanoscale resolution. This computational framework - called CyRSoXS (https://github.com/usnistgov/cyrsoxs) - is designed to maximize GPU performance, including algorithms that minimize both communication and memory footprints. The accuracy and robustness of the approach are demonstrated by validating against an extensive set of test cases, which include both analytical solutions and numerical comparisons, demonstrating an acceleration of over three orders of magnitude relative to the current state-of-the-art P-RSoXS simulation software. Such fast simulations open up a variety of applications that were previously computationally unfeasible, including pattern fitting, co-simulation with the physical instrument for operando analytics, data exploration and decision support, data creation and integration into machine learning workflows, and utilization in multi-modal data assimilation approaches. Finally, the complexity of the computational framework is abstracted away from the end user by exposing CyRSoXS to Python using Pybind. This eliminates input/output requirements for large-scale parameter exploration and inverse design, and democratizes usage by enabling seamless integration with a Python ecosystem (https://github.com/usnistgov/nrss) that can include parametric morphology generation, simulation result reduction, comparison with experiment and data fitting approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kumar Saurabh
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50010, USA
| | - Peter J. Dudenas
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA
| | - Eliot Gann
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA
| | | | - Subhrangsu Mukherjee
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA
| | - Daniel Sunday
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA
| | - Tyler B. Martin
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA
| | - Peter A. Beaucage
- NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA
| | - Michael L. Chabinyc
- Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Dean M. DeLongchamp
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA
| | - Adarsh Krishnamurthy
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50010, USA
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8
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Rongpipi S, Del Mundo JT, Gomez ED, Gomez EW. Extracting structural insights from soft X-ray scattering of biological assemblies. Methods Enzymol 2022; 678:121-144. [PMID: 36641206 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2022.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSoXS), a technique that combines X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray scattering, can probe the nano- and meso-scale structure of biological assemblies with chemical specificity. RSoXS experiments yield scattering data collected at several photon energies, for example across an elemental absorption edge of interest. Collecting a near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectrum complements RSoXS experiments and determines X-ray energies that are best suited for RSoXS measurements. The analysis of RSoXS data is similar in many ways to analysis of small angle X-ray scattering using hard X-rays, with an added dimension that includes an X-ray energy dependence. This chapter discusses procedures for predicting scattering contrast and thereby identifying energies suitable for RSoXS measurements using NEXAFS spectra, analyses of 2D RSoXS images through integration into 1D profiles, and strategies for elucidating the origin of RSoXS scattering features. It also discusses existing and potential methods for interpretation of RSoXS data to gain detailed structural insights into biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sintu Rongpipi
- Advanced Light Source and Materials Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Joshua T Del Mundo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States; Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States.
| | - Esther W Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States; Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States.
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9
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Alqahtani O, Lv J, Xu T, Murcia V, Ferron T, McAfee T, Grabner D, Duan T, Collins BA. High Sensitivity of Non-Fullerene Organic Solar Cells Morphology and Performance to a Processing Additive. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2022; 18:e2202411. [PMID: 35559598 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202202411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Although solvent additives are used to optimize device performance in many novel non-fullerene acceptor (NFA) organic solar cells (OSCs), the effect of processing additives on OSC structures and functionalities can be difficult to predict. Here, two polymer-NFA OSCs with highly sensitive device performance and morphology to the most prevalent solvent additive chloronaphthalene (CN) are presented. Devices with 1% CN additive are found to nearly double device efficiencies to 10%. However, additive concentrations even slightly above optimum significantly hinder device performance due to formation of undesirable morphologies. A comprehensive analysis of device nanostructure shows that CN is critical to increasing crystallinity and optimizing phase separation up to the optimal concentration for suppressing charge recombination and maximizing performance. Here, domain purity and crystallinity are highly correlated with photocurrent and fill factors. However, this effect is in competition with uncontrolled crystallization of NFAs that occur at CN concentrations slightly above optimal. This study highlights how slight variations of solvent additives can impart detrimental effects to morphology and device performance of NFA OSCs. Therefore, successful scale-up processing of NFA-based OSCs will require extreme formulation control, a tuned NFA structure that resists runaway crystallization, or alternative methods such as additive-free fabrication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Obaid Alqahtani
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA
- Department of Physics, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Alkharj, 11942, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jie Lv
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, 400714, China
| | - Tongle Xu
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, 400714, China
| | - Victor Murcia
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA
| | - Thomas Ferron
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA
| | - Terry McAfee
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Devin Grabner
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA
| | - Tainan Duan
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, 400714, China
| | - Brian A Collins
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA
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10
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Wu R, Matta M, Paulsen BD, Rivnay J. Operando Characterization of Organic Mixed Ionic/Electronic Conducting Materials. Chem Rev 2022; 122:4493-4551. [PMID: 35026108 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Operando characterization plays an important role in revealing the structure-property relationships of organic mixed ionic/electronic conductors (OMIECs), enabling the direct observation of dynamic changes during device operation and thus guiding the development of new materials. This review focuses on the application of different operando characterization techniques in the study of OMIECs, highlighting the time-dependent and bias-dependent structure, composition, and morphology information extracted from these techniques. We first illustrate the needs, requirements, and challenges of operando characterization then provide an overview of relevant experimental techniques, including spectroscopy, scattering, microbalance, microprobe, and electron microscopy. We also compare different in silico methods and discuss the interplay of these computational methods with experimental techniques. Finally, we provide an outlook on the future development of operando for OMIEC-based devices and look toward multimodal operando techniques for more comprehensive and accurate description of OMIECs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiheng Wu
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Micaela Matta
- Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZD, United Kingdom
| | - Bryan D Paulsen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Jonathan Rivnay
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Simpson Querrey Institute, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
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11
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Del Mundo JT, Rongpipi S, Gomez ED, Gomez EW. Characterization of biological materials with soft X-ray scattering. Methods Enzymol 2022; 677:357-383. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2022.08.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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12
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Alqahtani O, Hosseini SM, Ferron T, Murcia V, McAfee T, Vixie K, Huang F, Armin A, Shoaee S, Collins BA. Evidence That Sharp Interfaces Suppress Recombination in Thick Organic Solar Cells. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:56394-56403. [PMID: 34787408 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c15570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Commercialization and scale-up of organic solar cells (OSCs) using industrial solution printing require maintaining maximum performance at active-layer thicknesses >400 nm─a characteristic still not generally achieved in non-fullerene acceptor OSCs. NT812/PC71BM is a rare system, whose performance increases up to these thicknesses due to highly suppressed charge recombination relative to the classic Langevin model. The suppression in this system, however, uniquely depends on device processing, pointing toward the role of nanomorphology. We investigate the morphological origins of this suppressed recombination by combining results from a suite of X-ray techniques. We are surprised to find that while all investigated devices are composed of pure, similarly aggregated nanodomains, Langevin reduction factors can still be tuned from ∼2 to >1000. This indicates that pure aggregated phases are insufficient for non-Langevin (reduced) recombination. Instead, we find that large well-ordered conduits and, in particular, sharp interfaces between domains appear to help to keep opposite charges separated and percolation pathways clear for enhanced charge collection in thick active layers. To our knowledge, this is the first quantitative study to isolate the donor/acceptor interfacial width correlated with non-Langevin charge recombination. This new structure-property relationship will be key to successful commercialization of printed OSCs at scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Obaid Alqahtani
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
- Department of Physics, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Alkharj 11942, KSA
| | - Seyed Mehrdad Hosseini
- Optoelectronics of Organic Semiconductors Institute, University of Potsdam, Potsdam-Golm 14476, Germany
| | - Thomas Ferron
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
| | - Victor Murcia
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
| | - Terry McAfee
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Kevin Vixie
- Department of Mathematics, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
| | - Fei Huang
- Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, P. R. China
| | - Ardalan Armin
- Department of Physics, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, Wales SA2 8PP, U.K
| | - Safa Shoaee
- Optoelectronics of Organic Semiconductors Institute, University of Potsdam, Potsdam-Golm 14476, Germany
| | - Brian A Collins
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
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