Marked Alkyl- vs Alkenyl-Substitutent Effects on Squaraine Dye Solid-State Structure, Carrier Mobility, and Bulk-Heterojunction Solar Cell Efficiency

Synthesis, Characterization, and Thin-Film Transistor Response of Benzo[i]pentahelicene-3,6-dione

Organic semiconductors hold the promise of simple, large area solution deposition, low thermal budgets as well as compatibility with flexible substrates, thus emerging as viable alternatives for cost-effective (opto)-electronic devices. In this study, we report the optimized synthesis and characterization of a helically shaped polycyclic aromatic compound, namely benzo[i]pentahelicene-3,6-dione, and explored its use in the fabrication of organic field effect transistors. In addition, we investigated its thermal, optical absorption, and electrochemical properties. Finally, the single crystal X-ray characterization is reported.

Pyrrole-Containing Semiconducting Materials: Synthesis and Applications in Organic Photovoltaics and Organic Field-Effect Transistors

Organic semiconducting materials derived from π-electron-rich pyrroles have garnered attention in recent years for the development of organic semiconductors. Although pyrrole is the most electron-rich five-membered heteroaromatic ring, it has found few applications in organic photovoltaics and organic field-effect transistors due to synthetic challenges and instability. However, computational modeling assisted screening processes have indicated that relatively stable materials containing pyrrolic units can be synthesized without compromising their inherent electron-donating properties. In this work, we provide a complete, up-to-date review of pyrrole-containing semiconducting materials used for organic photovoltaics and organic field-effect transistors and highlight recent advances in the synthesis of these materials.

Comparison of the Solution and Vacuum-Processed Squaraine:Fullerene Small-Molecule Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells

Squaraine dyes have shown promising properties for high performance organic solar cells owing to their advantages of intense absorption and high absorption coefficients in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) regions. In this work, to directly compare the photovoltaic performance of solution- and vacuum-processed small-molecule bulk heterojunction (SMBHJ) solar cells, we employed a squaraine small molecular dye, 2,4-bis[4-(N,N-diisobutylamino)-2,6-dihydroxyphenyl] squaraine (DIBSQ), as an electron donor combined with fullerene acceptors to fabricate SMBHJ cells either from solution or vacuum deposition process. The solution-processed SMBHJ cell possesses a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of ~4.3%, while the vacuum-processed cell provides a PCE of ~6.3%. Comparison of the device performance shows that the vacuum-processed SMBHJ cells possess higher short-circuit current density, fill factor and thus higher PCE than the solution-processed devices, which should be assigned to more efficient charge transport and charge extraction in the vacuum-processed SMBHJ cells. However, solution-processed SMBHJ cells demonstrate more pronounced temperature-dependent device performance and higher device stability. This study indicates the great potential of DIBSQ in photovoltaic application via both of solution and vacuum processing techniques.

Recent Studies of Semitransparent Solar Cells

It is necessary to develop semitransparent photovoltaic cell for increasing the energy density from sunlight, useful for harvesting solar energy through the windows and roofs of buildings and vehicles. Current semitransparent photovoltaics are mostly based on Si, but it is difficult to adjust the color transmitted through Si cells intrinsically for enhancing the visual comfort for human. Recent intensive studies on translucent polymer- and perovskite-based photovoltaic cells offer considerable opportunities to escape from Si-oriented photovoltaics because their electrical and optical properties can be easily controlled by adjusting the material composition. Here, we review recent progress in materials fabrication, design of cell structure, and device engineering/characterization for high-performance/semitransparent organic and perovskite solar cells, and discuss major problems to overcome for commercialization of these solar cells.

Alkyl chain length effects on double-deck assembly at a liquid/solid interface

Controlled double-deck packing is an appealing means to expand upon conventional 2D self-assembly which is critical in crystal engineering, yet it is rare and poorly understood. Herein, we report the first systematic study of double-deck assembly in a series of alkylated aminoquinone derivatives at the liquid-solid interface. The competition between the fraction of alkyl chains adsorbed on the surface and the optimal conformation of the alkyl chains near the head group leads to a stepwise structural transformation ranging from complete double-deck packing to complete monolayer packing. Alkyl chains on the bottom or top layer of the double-deck assemblies were selectively visualized by carefully tuning the scanning tunneling microscopy settings. A method to easily identify mirror image domains was discovered based on the coincidence of domain boundaries with a graphite main axis. The effect of molecular symmetry and metal complexation on the formation of the double-deck assembly was also explored. Based on 2D crystal engineering principles, this bottom-up double-deck assembly can potentially provide an essential toehold for constructing precise 3D hierarchical structures.

Colorful Squaraines Dyes for Efficient Solution-Processed All Small-Molecule Semitransparent Organic Solar Cells

Semitransparent organic solar cells (ST-OSCs) exhibit highly promising applications to develop integrated photovoltaics and power-generating windows. However, the development of ST-OSCs is significantly lagging behind opaque OSCs, especially for all small-molecule ST-OSCs. Here, four unique squaraines dyes (IDPSQ, SQ-BP, D-BDT-SQ, and AzUSQ) were successfully used as donors in ST-OSCs, whose colors can be tuned from purple to blue, green, and dark green, respectively. While using ultrathin Ag as a transparent electrode, the ST-OSCs fabricated using IDPSQ:PC₇₁BM, SQ-BP:PC₇₁BM, D-BDT-SQ:PC₇₁BM, and AzUSQ:PC₇₁BM yield power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 2.96, 4.36, 4.91, and 1.71%, respectively, and their colors are purple, cyan, brown, and light brown, respectively. Compared to their opaque OSCs (PCEs of 3.95, 5.45, 5.84, and 1.91%, respectively), the reduction in the PCEs are as low as 25, 20, 16, and 10%, respectively. Furthermore, each of these ST-OSCs exhibit good average visible transmittance (AVT) of 25-30%, favorable CIE color coordinates, and a color rendering index (CRI) of 71-97%. Finally, by changing the thickness of the Ag electrode, an impressive PCE of 4.9% along with an AVT of 25% and a CRI of 97% can be obtained in D-BDT-SQ:PC₇₁BM-based ST-OSCs, which is the highest PCE among all small-molecule ST-OSCs.

Controllable morphology and self-assembly of one-dimensional luminescent crystals based on alkyl-fluoro-substituted dithienophenazines

A class of dithienophenazine derivatives, 9,10-difluoro-2,5-dialkyldithieno[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine (F-n, n = 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8), modified with various lengths of linear alkyl chains were synthesized and used as building blocks to assemble luminescent one-dimensional (1D) nano/microcrystals.

Self-Assembled Organic Materials for Photovoltaic Application

Organic photovoltaic cells based on bulk-heterojunction architecture have been a topic of intense research for the past two decades. Recent reports on power conversion efficiency surpassing 10% suggest these devices are a viable low-cost choice for a range of applications where conventional silicon solar cells are not suitable. Further improvements in efficiency could be achieved with the enhanced interaction between the donor and acceptor components. Effective utilization of supramolecular interactions to tailor and manipulate the communication between the components in the blend is a good strategy towards this end. Literature reports suggest that the long-term stability of organic solar cells, a major hurdle for commercial applications, can also be partially addressed by generating stable supramolecular nanostructures. In this review, we have made an attempt to summarize advances in small molecule, oligomer and polymer based systems, wherein supramolecular interactions such as hydrogen-bonding, pi-pi stacking, and dipole-dipole are explored for realizing stable and efficient bulk-heterojunction solar cells.

Optimized synthesis of π-extended squaraine dyes relevant to organic electronics by direct (hetero)arylation and Sonogashira coupling reactions

This study reports on the synthesis and characterization of four molecular π-extended squaraine compounds relevant to the field of organic electronics.

Synthesis and fluorescence properties of novel squarylium–boron complexes

Novel squarylium–boron complexes showed a significantly enhanced fluorescence quantum yield compared to the corresponding uncomplexed squarylium dyes.

Bulk-Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells: Five Core Technologies for Their Commercialization

The past two decades of vigorous interdisciplinary approaches has seen tremendous breakthroughs in both scientific and technological developments of bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells (OSCs) based on nanocomposites of π-conjugated organic semiconductors. Because of their unique functionalities, the OSC field is expected to enable innovative photovoltaic applications that can be difficult to achieve using traditional inorganic solar cells: OSCs are printable, portable, wearable, disposable, biocompatible, and attachable to curved surfaces. The ultimate objective of this field is to develop cost-effective, stable, and high-performance photovoltaic modules fabricated on large-area flexible plastic substrates via high-volume/throughput roll-to-roll printing processing and thus achieve the practical implementation of OSCs. Recently, intensive research efforts into the development of organic materials, processing techniques, interface engineering, and device architectures have led to a remarkable improvement in power conversion efficiencies, exceeding 11%, which has finally brought OSCs close to commercialization. Current research interests are expanding from academic to industrial viewpoints to improve device stability and compatibility with large-scale printing processes, which must be addressed to realize viable applications. Here, both academic and industrial issues are reviewed by highlighting historically monumental research results and recent state-of-the-art progress in OSCs. Moreover, perspectives on five core technologies that affect the realization of the practical use of OSCs are presented, including device efficiency, device stability, flexible and transparent electrodes, module designs, and printing techniques.

Electro-optical Properties of Neutral and Radical Ion Thienosquaraines

Thienosquaraines are an interesting class of electroactive dyes that are useful for applications in organic electronics. Herein, the redox chemistry and electrochromic response of a few newly synthesized thienosquaraines are presented. These properties are compared to those of the commercial 2,4-bis[4-(N,N-diisobutylamino)-2,6-dihydroxyphenyl]squaraine. The stability of the radical ions formed in electrochemical processes strongly affects these properties, as shown by cyclic voltammetry, in situ spectroelectrochemistry, and quantum chemical calculations. Furthermore, all of the dyes show aggregation tendency resulting in panchromatic absorption covering the whole UV/Vis spectral range.

Organic Semiconductors based on Dyes and Color Pigments

Organic dyes and pigments constitute a large class of industrial products. The utilization of these compounds in the field of organic electronics is reviewed with particular emphasis on organic field-effect transistors. It is shown that for most major classes of industrial dyes and pigments, i.e., phthalocyanines, perylene and naphthalene diimides, diketopyrrolopyrroles, indigos and isoindigos, squaraines, and merocyanines, charge-carrier mobilities exceeding 1 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) have been achieved. The most widely investigated molecules due to their n-channel operation are perylene and naphthalene diimides, for which even values close to 10 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) have been demonstrated. The fact that all of these π-conjugated colorants contain polar substituents leading to strongly quadrupolar or even dipolar molecules suggests that indeed a much larger structural space shows promise for the design of organic semiconductor molecules than was considered in this field traditionally. In particular, because many of these dye and pigment chromophores demonstrate excellent thermal and (photo-)chemical stability in their original applications in dyeing and printing, and are accessible by straightforward synthetic protocols, they bear a particularly high potential for commercial applications in the area of organic electronics.

A dual-functional asymmetric squaraine-based low band gap hole transporting material for efficient perovskite solar cells

We demonstrate for the first time an asymmetric squaraine-based low band-gap hole transporting material, which acted as both light harvesting and hole transporting layers in methylammonium lead triiodide perovskite solar cells. Opto-electrochemical characterization revealed extremely high molar extinction coefficients of the absorption bands in the low energy region and prominent space charge delocalization due to its electronically asymmetric nature. A suitable band alignment of the squaraine HOMO level with the valence band edge of the perovskite, and the conduction band of the TiO2 with LUMO of the perovskite allowed a cascade of hole extraction and electron injection, respectively. Red-shifted absorption was observed for both HTMs in thin films coated on the perovskite, and the optimized devices exhibited an impressive PCE of 14.7% under full sunlight illumination (100 mW cm(-2), AM1.5 G). The efficiency value is comparable to that of the devices using a state-of-the-art spiro-OMeTAD hole transport layer under similar conditions. Ambient stability after 300 h revealed that 88% of the initial efficiency remained for , and almost no change for , indicating that the devices had good long-term stability thus suggesting that the asymmetric squaraines have great potential as a dual-functional HTM for high performance perovskite solar cells.

Squaraine based solution processed inverted bulk heterojunction solar cells processed in air

Inverted bulk heterojunction solar cells based on low temperature solution processed squaraine (SQ) and [6,6]-phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl-ester (PC71BM) with varying blend ratios were made in air. An optimized bulk heterojunction device of SQ and PC71BM (with a blend ratio of 1 : 6) showed a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.45% with an incident photon to current conversion efficiency of 65% at 680 nm and a spectral window extending to the NIR region. The devices also showed an enhanced PCE value of 4.12% upon continuous illumination from an AM1.5G light source of intensity 1 Sun. The intensity dependent photocurrent studies showed a monomolecular recombination mechanism in the photovoltaic device performance. The device stored in air showed reasonable stability for a period of one month.

Unsymmetrical squaraines with new linkage manner for high-performance solution-processed small-molecule organic photovoltaic cells

Two unsymmetrical squaraines were employed as donors for high performance BHJ-OPV devices with J_sc > 13 mA cm⁻² and PCE > 5%.

Influence of Solid-State Packing of Dipolar Merocyanine Dyes on Transistor and Solar Cell Performances

A series of nine dipolar merocyanine dyes has been studied as organic semiconductors in transistors and solar cells. These dyes exhibited single-crystal packing motifs with different dimensional ordering, which can be correlated to the performance of the studied devices. Hereby, the long-range ordering of the dyes in staircase-like slipped stacks with J-type excitonic coupling favors charge transport and improves solar cell performance. The different morphologies of transistor thin films and solar cell active layers were investigated by UV-vis, AFM, and XRD experiments. Selenium-containing donor-acceptor (D-A) dimethine dye 4 showed the highest hole mobility of 0.08 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1). BHJ solar cells based on dye 4 were optimized by taking advantage of the high crystallinity of the donor material and afforded a PCE of up to 6.2%.

Asymmetrical Squaraines Bearing Fluorine-Substituted Indoline Moieties for High-Performance Solution-Processed Small-Molecule Organic Solar Cells

Two novel asymmetrical squaraines based on the indoline unit, ASQ-5-F and ASQ-5-DF, with one and two fluorine substituents, have been developed to investigate the effect of fluorine substituted on small-molecule bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells (OSCs). In comparison with non-fluorine-substituted ASQ-5, both fluorine-substituted ASQ-5-F and ASQ-5-DF possess analogous absorption band gaps but 0.05 and 0.10 eV lowered highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy levels, respectively. Single-crystal analysis exhibits that ASQ-5-DF shows more desirable intermolecular packing patterns for the hole-carrier collection than ASQ-5 does; hence, higher hole mobility could be acquired. Therefore, solution-processed small-molecule BHJ OSCs fabricated with ASQ-5-F/PC71BM and ASQ-5-DF/PC71BM blends exhibit extremely higher power conversion efficiency (PCE; 5.0% and 6.0%, respectively) than that of ASQ-5/PC71BM (4.5%). The much improved PCE could be attributed to the simultaneously enhanced Voc, Jsc, and FF relative to those of the ASQ-5-based device. To our knowledge, this is the highest PCE (6.0%) among squaraine-based solution-processed BHJ OSCs and the highest PCE in OSCs based on the fluorinated donor segment of small molecules.

Asymmetrical squaraines for high-performance small-molecule organic solar cells with a short circuit current of over 12 mA cm−2

Asymmetrical squaraine dyes with two aryl groups directly linked to the squaric acid core were synthesized, and exhibited excellent photovoltaic performance.

Branched and linear A2–D–A1–D–A2isoindigo-based solution-processable small molecules for organic field-effect transistors and solar cells

A₂–D–A₁–D–A₂type small molecules were synthesized, providing a solar cell efficiency of 1.9% and hole mobility of 3.7 × 10⁻³cm²V⁻¹s⁻¹.

N,N-Diarylamino end-capping as a new strategy for simultaneously enhancing open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current density and fill factor in small molecule organic solar cells

N,N-Diarylamino end-capping strategy for asymmetrical squaraines with simultaneously enhanced V_oc, J_sc and FF in solution-processed small molecule organic solar cells.

Molecular materials for organic photovoltaics: small is beautiful

An overview of some recent developments of the chemistry of molecular donor materials for organic photovoltaics (OPV) is presented. Although molecular materials have been used for the fabrication of OPV cells from the very beginning of the field, the design of molecular donors specifically designed for OPV is a relatively recent research area. In the past few years, molecular donors have been used in both vacuum-deposited and solution-processed OPV cells and both fields have witnessed impressive progress with power conversion efficiencies crossing the symbolic limit of 10 %. However, this progress has been achieved at the price of an increasing complexity of the chemistry of active materials and of the technology of device fabrication. This evolution probably inherent to the progress of research is difficult to reconcile with the necessity for OPV to demonstrate a decisive economic advantage over existing silicon technology. In this short review various classes of molecular donors are discussed with the aim of defining possible basic molecular structures that can combine structural simplicity, low molecular weight, synthetic accessibility, scalability and that can represent possible starting points for the development of simple and cost-effective OPV materials.

Improved efficiency of bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells by doping low-bandgap small molecules

We present performance improved ternary bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells by doping a small molecule, 2,4-bis[4-(N,N-diisobutylamino)-2,6-dihydroxyphenyl] squaraine (DIB-SQ), into the common binary blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM). The optimized power conversion efficiency (PCE) of P3HT:PC71BM-based cells was improved from 3.05% to 3.72% by doping 1.2 wt % DIB-SQ as the second electron donor, which corresponds to ∼22% PCE enhancement. The main contributions of doping DIB-SQ material on the improved performance of PSCs can be summarized as (i) harvesting more photons in the low-energy range, (ii) increased exciton dissociation, energy transfer, and charge carrier transport in the ternary blend films. The energy transfer process from P3HT to DIB-SQ is demonstrated by time-resolved transient photoluminescence spectra through monitoring the lifetime of 700 nm emission from neat P3HT, DIB-SQ and blended P3HT:DIB-SQ solutions. The lifetime of 700 nm emission is increased from 0.9 ns for neat P3HT solution, to 4.9 ns for neat DIB-SQ solution, to 6.2 ns for P3HT:DIB-SQ blend solution.

A difunctional squarylium indocyanine dye distinguishes dead cells through diverse staining of the cell nuclei/membranes

Functionalized fluorescent dyes have attracted great interest for the specific staining of subcellular organelles in multicellular organisms. A novel nanometer-sized water-soluble multi-functional squarylium indocyanine dye (D1) that contains four primary amines is synthesized. The dye exhibits good photostability, non-toxicity and biocompatibility. Isothermal titration calorimetry demonstrates that an affinity between D1 and DNA is higher than that between D1 and analogue of phospholipids. Analysis of circular dichroism spectra indicates that D1 targets to the DNA minor groove and aggregates to a helix. Because of the distinct affinity between the dye and subcellular organelles, the dye exhibits difunctional abilities to label the cell nuclei in fixed cells/tissue and the cell membranes in live cells/tissue. By combination of the two staining capabilities, the dye is further explored as a specific marker to distinguish apoptotic cells in live cells/tissue. The research opens a new way to design novel multifunctional dyes for life science applications.

Squaraines as light-capturing materials in photovoltaic cells

We have summarized the recent developments in the molecular design strategies of squaraines for photovoltaic applications.

Small band gap D-π-A-π-D benzothiadiazole derivatives with low-lying HOMO levels as potential donors for applications in organic photovoltaics: a combined experimental and theoretical investigation

Small organic molecules with potential applications as donors in OPV featuring carbazole, benzocarbazole as donors, benzothiadiazole as acceptor and fluorene, thiophene as spacers (π) have been synthesized and characterized.