Organic Optoelectronic Materials: Mechanisms and Applications

Organic (opto)electronic materials have received considerable attention due to their applications in thin-film-transistors, light-emitting diodes, solar cells, sensors, photorefractive devices, and many others. The technological promises include low cost of these materials and the possibility of their room-temperature deposition from solution on large-area and/or flexible substrates. The article reviews the current understanding of the physical mechanisms that determine the (opto)electronic properties of high-performance organic materials. The focus of the review is on photoinduced processes and on electronic properties important for optoelectronic applications relying on charge carrier photogeneration. Additionally, it highlights the capabilities of various experimental techniques for characterization of these materials, summarizes top-of-the-line device performance, and outlines recent trends in the further development of the field. The properties of materials based both on small molecules and on conjugated polymers are considered, and their applications in organic solar cells, photodetectors, and photorefractive devices are discussed.

High-Resolution Photocurrent Imaging of Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells

Images obtained from photocurrent scanning of organic bulk heterojunction solar cell devices provide a direct measure of correlation of the morphology to the performance parameters. The peripheral photocurrent induced from light coupled to probe tips in the near-field regime of bulk heterojunction layers permits in situ scanning of active solar cells with asymmetric electrodes. We present a methodology involving a combination of atomic force microscopy, near-field optical microscopy, and near-field photocurrent microscopy to decipher the carrier generation and transport regions in the bulk heterojunction layer. The angular Fourier transformation technique is implemented on these images to rationalize the optimum blend concentration in crystalline and amorphous donor systems and provide insights into the role of the bulk heterojunction morphology.

Scanning absorption nanoscopy with supercontinuum light sources based on photonic crystal fiber

We have experimentally demonstrated a scanning absorption nanoscopy system combining a near-field scanning optical microscope with an absorption spectroscope using supercontinuum radiation generated by coupling a mode-locked Ti:sapphire pulse laser to a nonlinear photonic crystal fiber as a light source. For the performance test of the system, the absorption spectrum and near-field absorption image of Rhodamine 6G were observed. As this system allows us to investigate the absorption properties and distribution of materials with high spatial resolution, it is expected to be effectively applied in various research areas.

Heterogeneity in polymer solar cells: local morphology and performance in organic photovoltaics studied with scanning probe microscopy

The use of organic photovoltaics (OPVs) could reduce production costs for solar cells because these materials are solution processable and can be manufactured by roll-to-roll printing. The nanoscale texture, or film morphology, of the donor/acceptor blends used in most OPVs is a critical variable that can dominate both the performance of new materials being optimized in the lab and efforts to move from laboratory-scale to factory-scale production. Although efficiencies of organic solar cells have improved significantly in recent years, progress in morphology optimization still occurs largely by trial and error, in part because much of our basic understanding of how nanoscale morphology affects the optoelectronic properties of these heterogeneous organic semiconductor films has to be inferred indirectly from macroscopic measurements. In this Account, we review the importance of nanoscale morphology in organic semiconductors and the use of electrical scanning probe microscopy techniques to directly probe the local optoelectronic properties of OPV devices. We have observed local heterogeneity of electronic properties and performance in a wide range of systems, including model polymer-fullerene blends such as poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C(61)-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), newer polyfluorene copolymer-PCBM blends, and even all polymer donor-acceptor blends. The observed heterogeneity in local photocurrent poses important questions, chiefly what information is contained and what is lost when using average values obtained from conventional measurements on macroscopic devices and bulk samples? We show that in many cases OPVs are best thought of as a collection of nanoscopic photodiodes connected in parallel, each with their own morphological and therefore electronic and optical properties. This local heterogeneity forces us to carefully consider the adequacy of describing OPVs solely by "average" properties such as the bulk carrier mobility. Characterizing this local heterogeneity in the morphology of an OPV and the consequent variations in local performance is vital to understanding OPV operation.

Laser fabrication and spectroscopy of organic nanoparticles

In working with nanoparticles, researchers still face two fundamental challenges: how to fabricate the nanoparticles with controlled size and shape and how to characterize them. In this Account, we describe recent advances in laser technology both for the synthesis of organic nanoparticles and for their analysis by single nanoparticle spectroscopy. Laser ablation of organic microcrystalline powders in a poor solvent has opened new horizons for the synthesis of nanoparticles because the powder sample is converted directly into a stable colloidal solution without additives and chemicals. By tuning laser wavelength, pulse width, laser fluence, and total shot number, we could control the size and phase of the nanoparticles. For example, we describe nanoparticle formation of quinacridone, a well-known red pigment, in water. By modifying the length of time that the sample is excited by the laser, we could control the particle size (30-120 nm) for nanosecond excitation down to 13 nm for femtosecond irradiation. We prepared beta- and gamma-phase nanoparticles from the microcrystal with beta-phase by changing laser wavelength and fluence. We present further results from nanoparticles produced from several dyes, C(60), and an anticancer drug. All the prepared colloidal solutions were transparent and highly dispersive. Such materials could be used for nanoscale device development and for biomedical and environmental applications. We also demonstrated the utility of single nanoparticle spectroscopic analysis in the characterization of organic nanoparticles. The optical properties of these organic nanoparticles depend on their size within the range from a few tens to a few hundred nanometers. We observed perylene nanoscrystals using single-particle spectroscopy coupled with atomic force microscopy. Based on these experiments, we proposed empirical equations explaining their size-dependent fluorescence spectra. We attribute the size effect to the change in elastic properties of the nanocrystal. Based on the results for nanoparticles of polymers and other molecules with flexible conformations, we assert that size-dependent optical properties are common for organic nanoparticles. While "electronic confinement" explains the size-dependent properties of inorganic nanoparticles, we propose "structural confinement" as an analogous paradigm for organic nanoparticles.

Fabrication of optical tips from photonic crystal fibers

We present a procedure for fabricating optical tips from photonic crystal fibers which feature a solid core surrounded by a cladding with a hexagonal, multilayer arrangement of air channels running along the length of the fiber. Such optical tips may have unique advantages for the production of near-field optical aperture probes (i.e., metal-coated optical tips with a subwavelength aperture at the tip apex). With both cladding and core made of pure silica, these fibers are fluorescence-free; they support only a single mode over a broad wavelength range (covering the visible and near-infrared spectrum), which makes them useful for multicolor experiments; and they exhibit zero group velocity dispersion at visible wavelengths, which opens up the possibility of femtosecond applications in the near field. Our tip fabrication procedure leads to a sharp, protruding, central tip formed exclusively from the fiber core amidst a regular arrangement of smaller tips from the inner, microstructured region of the cladding. A mechanism for tip formation is proposed based on optical observations at various stages, which explains the self-centering nature of the process.

Characterization of power induced heating and damage in fiber optic probes for near-field scanning optical microscopy

Tip-induced sample heating in near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) is studied for fiber optic probes fabricated using the chemical etching technique. To characterize sample heating from etched NSOM probes, the spectra of a thermochromic polymer sample are measured as a function of probe output power, as was previously reported for pulled NSOM probes. The results reveal that sample heating increases rapidly to approximately 55-60 degrees C as output powers reach approximately 50 nW. At higher output powers, the sample heating remains approximately constant up to the maximum power studied of approximately 450 nW. The sample heating profiles measured for etched NSOM probes are consistent with those previously measured for NSOM probes fabricated using the pulling method. At high powers, both pulled and etched NSOM probes fail as the aluminum coating is damaged. For probes fabricated in our laboratory we find failure occurring at input powers of 3.4+/-1.7 and 20.7+/-6.9 mW for pulled and etched probes, respectively. The larger half-cone angle for etched probes ( approximately 15 degrees for etched and approximately 6 degrees for pulled probes) enables more light delivery and also apparently leads to a different failure mechanism. For pulled NSOM probes, high resolution images of NSOM probes as power is increased reveal the development of stress fractures in the coating at a taper diameter of approximately 6 microm. These stress fractures, arising from the differential heating expansion of the dielectric and the metal coating, eventually lead to coating removal and probe failure. For etched tips, the absence of clear stress fractures and the pooled morphology of the damaged aluminum coating following failure suggest that thermal damage may cause coating failure, although other mechanisms cannot be ruled out.

Theoretical studies of molecular scale near-field electron dynamics

Near-field scanning microscopy and nonlinear spectroscopy on a molecular scale involve weakly interacting subsystems that dynamically exchange electrons and electromagnetic energy. The theoretical description of such processes requires unified approach to the electron-near-field dynamics. By considering electronic structure and dynamics of two distant clusters or atoms we show that adiabatic local spin-density approximation (ALSDA) fails to describe (even qualitatively) essential details of electron dynamics in weakly interacting systems. A recently developed functional addresses these ailments within a time-dependent setting. With this method we study the spectroscopy of a composite system, namely, two weakly coupled metallic clusters. The near-field (dipole-dipole) coupling and electron transfer display an interesting interplay, producing exponential sensitivity of emission yield to the intercomponent distance.

Mapping the fluorescence decay lifetime of a conjugated polymer in a phase-separated blend using a scanning near-field optical microscope

We have studied a blend of the polymers poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) (F8) dispersed in an inert matrix of polystyrene (PS) using time-resolved scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM). On spin-casting, phase separation occurs between the two polymers resulting in a thin film characterized by an F8-rich phase and a PS-rich phase. By spatially mapping the intensity of photoluminescence from the film, we find that there is a low concentration of F8 trapped within the PS-rich phase. We find that the fluorescence emission lifetime (measured at 440 nm) of F8 trapped within the PS-rich phase is significantly longer than that from the F8-rich phase (290 ps compared to 235 ps). Furthermore, spectral measurements indicate that the F8 emission from the PS-rich phase is characterized by a reduced fraction of emission from fluorenone defect states. Taken together, our measurements suggest that in the PS-rich phase interchain exciton diffusion between F8 molecules is suppressed significantly by the effect of dilution.

Imaging the Selective Binding of Synapsin to Anionic Membrane Domains

Synapsins are membrane-associated proteins that cover the surface of synaptic vesicles and are responsible for maintaining a pool of neurotransmitter-loaded vesicles for use during neuronal activity. We have used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study the interaction of synapsin I with negatively charged lipid domains in phase-separated supported lipid bilayers prepared from mixtures of phosphatidylcholines (PCs) and phosphatidylserines (PSs). The results indicate a mixture of electrostatic binding to anionic PS-rich domains as well as some nonspecific binding to the PC phase. Interestingly, both protein binding and scanning with synapsin-coated AFM tips can be used to visualize charged lipid domains that cannot be detected by topography alone.

Near-field scanning optical microscopy, a siren call to biology

Near-field illumination of a sample with visible light can resolve features well beyond the resolution of conventional, far-field microscopes. Near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) then has the potential of extending the resolution of techniques such as fluorescent labeling, yielding images of cell structures and molecules on the nanoscale. However, major problems remain to be solved before NSOM can be easily used for wet biological samples. The most significant of these is control of the distance between near-field aperture and the sample surface. Hence, while NSOM promises much, its application to biology is about where electron microscopy was 40 or 50 years ago.

Fluorescence lifetime imaging with near-field scanning optical microscopy

Near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) is a high-resolution scanning probe technique capable of obtaining simultaneous optical and topographic images with spatial resolution of tens of nanometers. We have integrated time-correlated single-photon counting and NSOM to obtain images of fluorescence lifetimes with high spatial resolution. The technique can be used to measure either full fluorescence lifetime decays at individual spots with a spatial resolution of <100 nm or NSOM fluorescence images using fluorescence lifetime as a contrast mechanism. For imaging, a pulsed Ti:sapphire laser was used for sample excitation and fluorescent photons were time correlated and sorted into two time delay bins. The intensity in these bins can be used to estimate the fluorescence lifetime at each pixel in the image. The technique is demonstrated on thin films of poly(9,9'-dioctylfluorene) (PDOF). The fluorescence of PDOF is the results of both inter- and intrapolymer emitting species that can be easily distinguished in the time domain. Fluorescence lifetime imaging with near-field scanning optical microscopy demonstrates how photochemical degradation of the polymer leads to a quenching of short-delay intrachain emission and an increase in the long-delay photons associated with interpolymer emitting species. The images also show how intra- and interpolymer species are uniformly distributed in the films.