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Fluorescence dynamics of thiophene-based copolymer/fullerene-derivative system as solution and blend film. MONATSHEFTE FUR CHEMIE 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00706-022-02941-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Amphiphilic PTB7-Based Rod-Coil Block Copolymer for Water-Processable Nanoparticles as an Active Layer for Sustainable Organic Photovoltaic: A Case Study. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14081588. [PMID: 35458337 PMCID: PMC9029162 DOI: 10.3390/polym14081588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
We synthetized a new rod-coil block copolymer (BCP) based on the semiconducting polymerpoly({4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene-2,6-diyl}{3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl]thieno[3,4-b]thiophenediyl}) (PTB7) and poly-4-vinylpyridine (P4VP), tailored to produce water-processable nanoparticles (WPNPs) in blend with phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM). The copolymer PTB7-b-P4VP was completely characterized by means of two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D-NMR), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS), size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to confirm the molecular structure. The WPNPs were prepared through an adapted miniemulsion approach without any surfactants. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images reveal the nano-segregation of two active materials inside the WPNPs. The nanostructures appear spherical with a Janus-like inner morphology. PTB7 segregated to one side of the nanoparticle, while PC71BM segregated to the other side. This morphology was consistent with the value of the surface energy obtained for the two active materials PTB7-b-P4VP and PC71BM. The WPNPs obtained were deposited as an active layer of organic solar cells (OSCs). The films obtained were characterized by UV-Visible Spectroscopy (UV-vis), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD). J-V characteristics of the WPNP-based devices were measured by obtaining a power conversion efficiency of 0.85%. Noticeably, the efficiency of the WPNP-based devices was higher than that achieved for the devices fabricated with the PTB7-based BCP dissolved in chlorinated organic solvent.
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Holmes A, Deniau E, Lartigau-Dagron C, Bousquet A, Chambon S, Holmes NP. Review of Waterborne Organic Semiconductor Colloids for Photovoltaics. ACS NANO 2021; 15:3927-3959. [PMID: 33620200 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c10161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Development of carbon neutral and sustainable energy sources should be considered as a top priority solution for the growing worldwide energy demand. Photovoltaics are a strong candidate, more specifically, organic photovoltaics (OPV), enabling the design of flexible, lightweight, semitransparent, and low-cost solar cells. However, the active layer of OPV is, for now, mainly deposited from chlorinated solvents, harmful for the environment and for human health. Active layers processed from health and environmentally friendly solvents have over recent years formed a key focus topic of research, with the creation of aqueous dispersions of conjugated polymer nanoparticles arising. These nanoparticles are formed from organic semiconductors (molecules and macromolecules) initially designed for organic solvents. The topic of nanoparticle OPV has gradually garnered more attention, up to a point where in 2018 it was identified as a "trendsetting strategy" by leaders in the international OPV research community. Hence, this review has been prepared to provide a timely roadmap of the formation and application of aqueous nanoparticle dispersions of active layer components for OPV. We provide a thorough synopsis of recent developments in both nanoprecipitation and miniemulsion for preparing photovoltaic inks, facilitating readers in acquiring a deep understanding of the crucial synthesis parameters affecting particle size, colloidal concentration, ink stability, and more. This review also showcases the experimental levers for identifying and optimizing the internal donor-acceptor morphology of the nanoparticles, featuring cutting-edge X-ray spectromicroscopy measurements reported over the past decade. The different strategies to improve the incorporation of these inks into OPV devices and to increase their efficiency (to the current record of 7.5%) are reported, in addition to critical design choices of surfactant type and the advantages of single-component vs binary nanoparticle populations. The review naturally culminates by presenting the upscaling strategies in practice for this environmentally friendly and safer production of solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Holmes
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM, Pau 64012, France
| | - Elise Deniau
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM, Pau 64012, France
| | | | - Antoine Bousquet
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM, Pau 64012, France
| | - Sylvain Chambon
- LIMMS/CNRS-IIS (UMI2820), Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan
| | - Natalie P Holmes
- Centre for Organic Electronics, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
- Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Sydney, Madsen Building F09, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
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Cheruku S, D'Olieslaeger L, Smisdom N, Smits J, Vanderzande D, Maes W, Ameloot M, Ethirajan A. Fluorescent PCDTBT Nanoparticles with Tunable Size for Versatile Bioimaging. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2019; 12:E2497. [PMID: 31390806 PMCID: PMC6695891 DOI: 10.3390/ma12152497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Conjugated polymer nanoparticles exhibit very interesting properties for use as bio-imaging agents. In this paper, we report the synthesis of PCDTBT (poly([9-(1'-octylnonyl)-9H-carbazole-2,7-diyl]-2,5-thiophenediyl-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole-4,7-diyl-2,5-thiophene-diyl)) nanoparticles of varying sizes using the mini-emulsion and emulsion/solvent evaporation approach. The effect of the size of the particles on the optical properties is investigated using UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence emission spectroscopy. It is shown that PCDTBT nanoparticles have a fluorescence emission maximum around 710 nm, within the biological near-infrared "optical window". The photoluminescence quantum yield shows a characteristic trend as a function of size. The particles are not cytotoxic and are taken up successfully by human lung cancer carcinoma A549 cells. Irrespective of the size, all particles show excellent fluorescent brightness for bioimaging. The fidelity of the particles as fluorescent probes to study particle dynamics in situ is shown as a proof of concept by performing raster image correlation spectroscopy. Combined, these results show that PCDTBT is an excellent candidate to serve as a fluorescent probe for near-infrared bio-imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srujan Cheruku
- Nanobiophysics and Soft Matter Interfaces group (NSI), Institute for Materials Research (IMO-IMOMEC), UHasselt-Hasselt University, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Lien D'Olieslaeger
- Nanobiophysics and Soft Matter Interfaces group (NSI), Institute for Materials Research (IMO-IMOMEC), UHasselt-Hasselt University, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Nick Smisdom
- Biomedical Research Institute (BIOMED), UHasselt-Hasselt University, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Joeri Smits
- Nanobiophysics and Soft Matter Interfaces group (NSI), Institute for Materials Research (IMO-IMOMEC), UHasselt-Hasselt University, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Dirk Vanderzande
- Design & Synthesis of Organic Semiconductors (DSOS), Institute for Materials Research (IMO-IMOMEC), UHasselt-Hasselt University, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
- IMEC, Associated lab IMOMEC, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Wouter Maes
- Design & Synthesis of Organic Semiconductors (DSOS), Institute for Materials Research (IMO-IMOMEC), UHasselt-Hasselt University, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
- IMEC, Associated lab IMOMEC, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Marcel Ameloot
- Biomedical Research Institute (BIOMED), UHasselt-Hasselt University, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Anitha Ethirajan
- Nanobiophysics and Soft Matter Interfaces group (NSI), Institute for Materials Research (IMO-IMOMEC), UHasselt-Hasselt University, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.
- IMEC, Associated lab IMOMEC, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.
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Litofsky JH, Lee Y, Aplan MP, Kuei B, Hexemer A, Wang C, Wang Q, Gomez ED. Polarized Soft X-ray Scattering Reveals Chain Orientation within Nanoscale Polymer Domains. Macromolecules 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.8b02198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Alexander Hexemer
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94530, United States
| | - Cheng Wang
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94530, United States
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Hu Z, Shao B, Geberth GT, Vanden Bout DA. Effects of molecular architecture on morphology and photophysics in conjugated polymers: from single molecules to bulk. Chem Sci 2018; 9:1101-1111. [PMID: 29675155 PMCID: PMC5887865 DOI: 10.1039/c7sc03465b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 12/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
A definitive comprehension of morphology and photophysics in conjugated polymers at multiple length scales demands both single molecule spectroscopy and well-controlled molecular architectures.
Conjugated polymers (CPs) possess a wide range of desirable properties, including accessible energetic bandgaps, synthetic versatility, and mechanical flexibility, which make them attractive for flexible and wearable optoelectronic devices. An accurate and comprehensive understanding about the morphology–photophysics relations in CPs lays the groundwork for their development in these applications. However, due to the complex roles of chemical structure, side-chains, backbone, and intramolecular interactions, CPs can exhibit heterogeneity in both their morphology and optoelectronic properties even at the single chain level. This molecular level heterogeneity together with complicated intermolecular interactions found in bulk CP materials severely obscures the deterministic information about the morphology and photophysics at different hierarchy levels. To counter this complexity and offer a clearer picture for the properties of CP materials, we highlight the approach of probing material systems with specific structural features via single molecule/aggregate spectroscopy (SMS). This review article covers recent advances achieved through such an approach regarding the important morphological and photophysical properties of CPs. After a brief review of the typical characteristics of CPs, we present detailed discussions of structurally well-defined model systems of CPs, from manipulated backbones and side-chains, up to nano-aggregates, studied with SMS to offer deterministic relations between morphology and photophysics from single chains building up to bulk states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongjian Hu
- Department of Chemistry , University of Texas at Austin , USA .
| | - Beiyue Shao
- Department of Chemistry , University of Texas at Austin , USA .
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Nagai M, Huang J, Cui D, Wang Z, Huang W. Two-step reprecipitation method with size and zeta potential controllability for synthesizing semiconducting polymer nanoparticles. Colloid Polym Sci 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00396-017-4097-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Wang S, Singh A, Walsh N, Redmond G. Surfactant-free, low band gap conjugated polymer nanoparticles and polymer:fullerene nanohybrids with potential for organic photovoltaics. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2016; 27:245601. [PMID: 27159927 DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/27/24/245601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Stable, aqueous dispersions of nanoparticles based on the low band gap polymers poly [2,7-(9,9-dioctyl-fluorene)-alt-5,5-(4',7'-di-2-thienyl-2',1',3'-benzothiadiazole)] (APFO-3) and poly [N-9'-heptadecanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4',7'-di-2-thienyl-2',1',3'-benzothiadiazole)] (PCDTBT) were prepared, using a flexible, surfactant-free reprecipitation method, and characterized by a variety of optical techniques. Light scattering measurements indicated average nanoparticle hydrodynamic diameters of approximately 40 nm. The particles presented wide-bandwidth absorption and photoluminescence excitation spectra with high absorption cross-sections on the order of 10(-12) cm(2). Nanoparticle emission spectra were significantly red-shifted, with decreased emission quantum yields and lifetimes, consistent with increased inter-polymer chain interactions in the condensed phase. Single particle photoluminescence studies highlighted the multi-chromophoric nature of the polymer nanoparticles and confirmed their favorable photostabilities. When the nanoparticles were doped with [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), the correspondence of photoluminescence emission quenching, quantum yield decreases, emission lifetime shortening, and increased non-radiative rates with increasing PCBM concentration suggested efficient photo-induced donor-to-acceptor charge transfer between the conjugated polymers and the fullerene dopants co-localized in the nanoparticle cores. Taken together, the data suggest that these surfactant-free hybrid nanomaterials may be useful for integration with future nanostructured organic photovoltaics technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suxiao Wang
- School of Chemistry, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
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Schwarz KN, Farley SB, Smith TA, Ghiggino KP. Charge generation and morphology in P3HT:PCBM nanoparticles prepared by mini-emulsion and reprecipitation methods. NANOSCALE 2015; 7:19899-19904. [PMID: 26567986 DOI: 10.1039/c5nr06244f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Organic semiconductor nanoparticles provide a potentially scalable approach for photovoltaics that can be processed from aqueous media. Particles of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT):phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) were prepared using two techniques; those produced by a mini-emulsion method contained greater amounts of crystalline P3HT domains with charge generation resembling phase-separated annealed solvent-cast films.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyra N Schwarz
- School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia.
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10
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Hu Z, Willard AP, Ono RJ, Bielawski CW, Rossky PJ, Vanden Bout DA. An insight into non-emissive excited states in conjugated polymers. Nat Commun 2015; 6:8246. [PMID: 26391514 PMCID: PMC4595598 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2014] [Accepted: 08/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Conjugated polymers in the solid state usually exhibit low fluorescence quantum yields, which limit their applications in many areas such as light-emitting diodes. Despite considerable research efforts, the underlying mechanism still remains controversial and elusive. Here, the nature and properties of excited states in the archetypal polythiophene are investigated via aggregates suspended in solvents with different dielectric constants (ɛ). In relatively polar solvents (ɛ>∼ 3), the aggregates exhibit a low fluorescence quantum yield (QY) of 2–5%, similar to bulk films, however, in relatively nonpolar solvents (ɛ<∼ 3) they demonstrate much higher fluorescence QY up to 20–30%. A series of mixed quantum-classical atomistic simulations illustrate that dielectric induced stabilization of nonradiative charge-transfer (CT) type states can lead to similar drastic reduction in fluorescence QY as seen experimentally. Fluorescence lifetime measurement reveals that the CT-type states exist as a competitive channel of the formation of emissive exciton-type states. Conjugated polymers in thin films exhibit low fluorescence quantum yields, but the mechanism is still unclear. Here, Hu et al. show the trade-off between charge transfer and emissive exciton states, whilst the former can be suppressed via dielectric-induced stabilization for large fluorescence quantum yields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongjian Hu
- Center for Nano- and Molecular Science and Technology, Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - Adam P Willard
- Center for Nano- and Molecular Science and Technology, Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - Robert J Ono
- Center for Nano- and Molecular Science and Technology, Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - Christopher W Bielawski
- Center for Nano- and Molecular Science and Technology, Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - Peter J Rossky
- Center for Nano- and Molecular Science and Technology, Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - David A Vanden Bout
- Center for Nano- and Molecular Science and Technology, Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
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11
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Böckmann M, Schemme T, de Jong DH, Denz C, Heuer A, Doltsinis NL. Structure of P3HT crystals, thin films, and solutions by UV/Vis spectral analysis. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2015; 17:28616-25. [DOI: 10.1039/c5cp03665h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The shift in the absorption spectrum of P3HT when comparing solution, spin-coated thin films, and the bulk crystal can be reproduced by multiscale simulation and explained in terms of the degree of intramolecular torsion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Böckmann
- Institut für Festkörpertheorie
- Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster and Center for Multiscale Theory & Computation
- 48149 Münster
- Germany
| | - Thomas Schemme
- Institut für Angewandte Physik
- Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
- 48149 Münster
- Germany
| | - Djurre H. de Jong
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie
- Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster and Center for Multiscale Theory & Computation
- 48149 Münster
- Germany
| | - Cornelia Denz
- Institut für Angewandte Physik
- Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
- 48149 Münster
- Germany
| | - Andreas Heuer
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie
- Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster and Center for Multiscale Theory & Computation
- 48149 Münster
- Germany
| | - Nikos L. Doltsinis
- Institut für Festkörpertheorie
- Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster and Center for Multiscale Theory & Computation
- 48149 Münster
- Germany
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12
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Couto R, Chambon S, Aymonier C, Mignard E, Pavageau B, Erriguible A, Marre S. Microfluidic supercritical antisolvent continuous processing and direct spray-coating of poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanoparticles for OFET devices. Chem Commun (Camb) 2015; 51:1008-11. [DOI: 10.1039/c4cc07878k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We report for the first time the use of a microfluidic supercritical antisolvent process (μSAS) to synthesize semiconducting polymer nanoparticles (NPs) of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT).
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Clafton SN, Huang DM, Massey WR, Kee TW. Femtosecond Dynamics of Excitons and Hole-Polarons in Composite P3HT/PCBM Nanoparticles. J Phys Chem B 2013; 117:4626-33. [DOI: 10.1021/jp308876z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Scott N. Clafton
- School of Chemistry & Physics, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - David M. Huang
- School of Chemistry & Physics, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - William R. Massey
- School of Chemistry & Physics, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Tak W. Kee
- School of Chemistry & Physics, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
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14
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Suzuki N, Imura M, Sato K, Fukata N, Matsuura M, Maekawa K, Yamauchi Y. Synthesis and characterization of Zn-doped mesoporous SnO2 by using thermally-stable block copolymer templates. Dalton Trans 2013; 42:6366-73. [DOI: 10.1039/c2dt32760k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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15
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Nagarjuna G, Baghgar M, Labastide JA, Algaier DD, Barnes MD, Venkataraman D. Tuning aggregation of poly(3-hexylthiophene) within nanoparticles. ACS NANO 2012; 6:10750-10758. [PMID: 23176297 DOI: 10.1021/nn305207b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Nanoparticles derived from π-conjugated polymers have gained widespread attention as active layer materials in various organic electronics applications. The optoelectronic, charge transfer, and charge transport properties of π-conjugated polymers are intimately connected to the polymer aggregate structure. Herein we show that the internal aggregate structure of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) within polymer nanoparticles can be tuned by solvent composition during nanoparticle fabrication through the miniemulsion process. Using absorption spectra and single-NP photoluminescence decay properties, we show that a solvent mixture consisting of a low boiling good solvent and a high boiling marginal solvent results in polymer aggregate structure with a higher degree of uniformity and structural order. We find that the impact of solvent on the nature of P3HT aggregation within nanoparticles is different from what has been reported in thin films.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavvalapalli Nagarjuna
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 710 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
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Rodd CM, Agarwal R. Enhancement of interfacial polymer crystallinity using chromism in single inorganic nanowire-polymer nanohybrids for photovoltaic applications. NANO LETTERS 2011; 11:3460-3467. [PMID: 21770454 DOI: 10.1021/nl201974s] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Interfaces play an important role in bulk heterojunction organic/inorganic hybrid photovoltaic devices, but directly probing the interface in order to improve device characteristics is exceedingly difficult. We report on a method to form core-shell inorganic nanowire-polymer hybrids of a conducting polymer, poly(3-hexlthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT), and a semiconducting nanowire, cadmium sulfide (CdS), using solution processing to create the polymer shell around the nanowire in order to study the polymer-nanowire interface directly without interference from bulk effects. We have used the rod-coil transition (chromism) in P3HT to seed and enhance the crystallinity at the polymer-nanowire interface. We have shown that creating more order within the P3HT main chain, by controlling the temperature and the solvent quality, can increase the extent of polymer crystallinity present at the polymer-nanowire interface. We believe using the rod-coil transition to create more order in P3HT and the resulting polymer-nanowire interface will provide a facile pathway for designing future organic-inorganic photovoltaic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M Rodd
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
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Lee SH, Lee YB, Park DH, Kim MS, Cho EH, Joo J. Tuning optical properties of poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanoparticles through hydrothermal processing. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF ADVANCED MATERIALS 2011; 12:025002. [PMID: 27877384 PMCID: PMC5090482 DOI: 10.1088/1468-6996/12/2/025002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2010] [Revised: 03/15/2011] [Accepted: 01/20/2011] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by a reprecipitation method. Hydrothermal processing applied external pressure to the pristine P3HT NPs at temperatures ranging from 60 to 150 °C. Optical absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectra for the hydrothermally treated P3HT NPs varied markedly with the processing temperature. With increasing treatment temperature, the absorption peak broadened and the peak position shifted from 510 to 623 nm; moreover, the intensity ratio of the 0-1 to 0-0 emission varied. These changes were caused by interactions between the P3HT main chains and alkyl side groups and conformational modifications induced by the high pressure during the hydrothermal process. The evolution of the optical absorption spectra of the P3HT NPs during the hydrothermal processing was strongly correlated with the variation of PL excitation spectra and with the PL emission spectra of a single NP.
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Hu Z, Zou J, Deibel C, Gesquiere AJ, Zhai L. Single-Molecule Spectroscopy and AFM Morphology Studies of a Diblock Copolymer Consisting of Poly(3-hexylthiophene) and Fullerene. MACROMOL CHEM PHYS 2010. [DOI: 10.1002/macp.201000482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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