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Pirashanthan A, Kajana T, Velauthapillai D, Shivatharsiny Y, Bentouba S, Ravirajan P. Roles of Interfacial Modifiers in Inorganic Titania/Organic Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Heterojunction Hybrid Solar Cells. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2022; 12:820. [PMID: 35269308 DOI: 10.3390/nano12050820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Hybrid Titanium dioxide/Poly(3-hexylthiophene) heterojunction solar cells have gained research interest as they have the potential to become cost-effective solar technology in the future. Limited power conversion efficiencies of about 5-6% have been reported so far, and an enhancement in efficiency was achieved through the engineering of the interface between Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). Evolution of this solar cell technology is relatively slow-moving due to the complex features of the metal oxide-polymer system and the limited understanding of the technology. In this review, we focus on recent developments in interface modified hybrid Titanium dioxide/Poly(3-hexylthiophene) solar cells, provide a short discussion on the working principle, device structure with interface modifiers, and summarize various types of interface modifiers studied to enhance the photovoltaic performance of hybrid TiO2/P3HT heterojunction solar cells. Further, we discuss the key factors influencing the power conversion efficiency and the role of a variety of interface modifiers in this regard. Finally, the challenges and perspectives related to hybrid TiO2/P3HT heterojunction solar cells are also explored.
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Zhao X, Sun P, Zhao K. The study of aggregation dynamics of conjugated polymer solutions in UV-vis absorbance spectra by considering the changing rate of average photon energy. Heliyon 2021; 7:e06638. [PMID: 33889772 PMCID: PMC8050370 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The changing rate of average photon energy ('Eave) can describe the UV-vis absorbance spectra over a wavelength range. During the aggregation process of poly (3-hexylselenophene) (P3HS) and poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) solutions that form J-aggregates, 'Eave always decrease and the relationship between 'Eave and time is an exponential model. 'Eave can predict the time when the aggregation process is completed or how far the aggregation process is from the completion. Hansen Solubility Parameter (HSP) of the solvent can be used to predict 'Eave of some conjugated polymer solutions without doing experiments. ''E0ave (changing rate of 'Eave at the beginning of the aggregation process) has been calculated to reflect the overall changing trend of 'Eave and reflects the compatibility between solvent and solute. Therefore, 'Eave is suitable to describe the aggregation dynamics of conjugated polymer solutions by evaluating the aggregation process in UV-vis absorbance spectra.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyi Zhao
- Zhengzhou University, School of Chemical Engineering, 100 Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, Henan 450002, China
| | - Peiqin Sun
- Zhengzhou University, School of Chemical Engineering, 100 Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, Henan 450002, China
| | - Ke Zhao
- Zhengzhou University, School of Mechanics and Safety Engineering Science, 100 Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, Henan 450002, China
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Peng J, Qi M. Poly(3-hexylthiophene) stationary phase for gas chromatographic separations of aliphatic and aromatic isomers. J Chromatogr A 2018; 1569:186-192. [PMID: 30031537 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2018.07.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2018] [Revised: 07/08/2018] [Accepted: 07/14/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
This work describes the investigation of utilizing a chain-typed thiophene-based π-conjugated polymer, i.e., poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), as the stationary phase for gas chromatography (GC). The P3HT column was statically prepared and investigated for its column efficiency, polarity, separation performance, repeatability and thermal stability. As a result, it showed moderate polarity and column efficiencies of 3260, 3310 and 3790 plates/m for 1-octanol, naphthalene and n-dodecane, respectively. As evidenced, it exhibited high-resolution performance for aliphatic and aromatic isomers, including those critical pairs such as phenanthrene/anthracene and p-/m-benzenediol isomers. Moreover, it displayed stronger retention for alkanes, alcohols and phenols in comparison to the polysiloxane stationary phase with close polarity. Also, the P3HT column had good repeatability and reproducibility with the RSD values less than 0.05% for run-to-run, 0.17-0.54% for day-to-day and 2.7-5.2% for column-to-column, and good thermal stability up to 260 °C. This work demonstrates the promising future of the thiophene-based polymer and its derivatives in separation science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianlin Peng
- Key Laboratory of Cluster Science, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Meiling Qi
- Key Laboratory of Cluster Science, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials and School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China.
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Wada Y, Enokida I, Yamamoto J, Furukawa Y. Raman imaging of carrier distribution in the channel of an ionic liquid-gated transistor fabricated with regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene). Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2018; 197:166-169. [PMID: 29398591 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2018.01.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2017] [Revised: 01/07/2018] [Accepted: 01/13/2018] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Raman images of carriers (positive polarons) at the channel of an ionic liquid-gated transistor (ILGT) fabricated with regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) have been measured with excitation at 785 nm. The observed spectra indicate that carriers generated are positive polarons. The intensities of the 1415 cm-1 band attributed to polarons in the P3HT channel were plotted as Raman images; they showed the carrier density distribution. When the source-drain voltage VD is lower than the source-gate voltage VG (linear region), the carrier density was uniform. When VD is nearly equal to VG (saturation region), a negative carrier density gradient from the source electrode towards the drain electrode was observed. This carrier density distribution is associated with the observed current-voltage characteristics, which is not consistent with the "pinch-off" theory of inorganic semiconductor transistors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Wada
- Department of Advanced Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan
| | - I Enokida
- Department of Advanced Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan
| | - J Yamamoto
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan
| | - Y Furukawa
- Department of Advanced Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan.
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Kepska K, Jarosz T, Januszkiewicz-Kaleniak A, Domagala W, Lapkowski M, Stolarczyk A. Spectroelectrochemistry of poly(3-hexylthiophenes) in solution. Chem Zvesti 2018; 72:251-9. [PMID: 29367801 DOI: 10.1007/s11696-017-0277-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Abstract The first comprehensive spectroelectrochemical account of the behaviour of regioregular (RR-P3HT) and statistical (ST-P3HT) poly(3-hexylthiophenes) in solution is presented, in contrast to the many reports dealing with P3HT films merely deposited from solution. The conducted experiments revealed that the two types of P3HTs behave in sharply different ways upon the application of electrochemical stimuli: ST-P3HT readily precipitates at mildly oxidative potentials, while the precipitation of the RR-P3HT takes place to a much lesser extent, even at higher potentials. The two polymers, studied via UV–Vis–NIR–EPR spectroelectrochemistry, exhibited properties mostly in line with earlier reports. Further study revealed that RR-P3HT largely remains in solution, even in its doped form, whereas only traces of the doped ST-P3HT are observed in solution in identical conditions. The high concentration of the doped RR-P3HT in solution can be explained by its ability to form soluble polymer agglomerates, in which the positive charge of the p-doped chains is stabilised by and delocalised over neighbouring, interacting undoped chains. These conclusions are consistent with SEM micrographs, which show that after cycling the potential of the electrode in a solution of ST-P3HT, a uniform layer is formed, covering most of the surface of the electrode, whereas in the case of RR-P3HT surface coverage is marginal and formed layer has the appearance of veined blotches. Graphical abstract ![]()
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Wang KH, Hsu WP, Chen LH, Lin WD, Lee YL. Extensibility effect of poly(3-hexylthiophene) on the glucose sensing performance of mixed poly(3-hexylthiophene)/octadecylamine/glucose oxidase Langmuir-Blodgett films. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2017; 155:104-110. [PMID: 28411475 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2017.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Revised: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) is utilized as a material to enhance the glucose sensing performance of glucose oxidase (GOx) Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films. To enhance the extensibility and homogeneity of the P3HT in the LB films, octadecylamine (ODA) is introduced. The characteristics of the mixed P3HT/ODA Langmuir monolayers are investigated first and then, utilized as template layers to adsorb GOx from the subphase, preparing P3HT/ODA/GOx Langmuir-Blodgett films for glucose sensing. The results show that P3HT molecules tend to aggregate at the air/liquid interface and, furthermore, the P3HT monolayer has a weak ability to adsorb GOx from the subphase. By using mixed P3HT/ODA monolayer, the presence of ODA not only inhibits the aggregation of P3HT, but also increases the adsorption ability of the monolayer to GOx. The extensibility of P3HT and the homogeneity of the P3HT/ODA monolayers are closely related to the concentration of P3HT/ODA stock solutions. On the glucose sensing experiments, the performance of the P3HT/ODA/GOx LB film is greatly improved due to the presence of P3HT and, furthermore, the sensibility increases with increasing extensibility of P3HT molecules. The best sensitivity achieved for the P3HT/ODA/GOx film is 5.4μAmM-1cm-2 which is over two times the value obtained by the ODA/GOx film (2.3μAmM-1cm-2).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke-Hsuan Wang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan; Department of Industrial Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo, 36063, Japan
| | - Wen-Ping Hsu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National United University, Miao-Li, 36063, Taiwan
| | - Liang-Huei Chen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Chia-Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Tainan, 71710, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Don Lin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan
| | - Yuh-Lang Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan.
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Zhang Y, Xie C, Gu FL, Wu H, Guo Q. Significant visible-light photocatalytic enhancement in Rhodamine B degradation of silver orthophosphate via the hybridization of N-doped graphene and poly(3-hexylthiophene). J Hazard Mater 2016; 315:23-34. [PMID: 27152973 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2016.04.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2016] [Revised: 04/24/2016] [Accepted: 04/28/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Organic pollutants as typical water contaminants are potentially harmful to human health. In this study, we suggested that the novel Ag3PO4/N-doped graphene (NG)/Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) composites can remove the organic dye Rhodamine B (RhB) from water. This Ag3PO4-based photocatalyst was synthesized via a facile method and subsequently characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, PL spectroscopy, and UV-vis DRS. The photocatalytic activity of Ag3PO4/NG/P3HT composites is significantly higher than that of pristine Ag3PO4, Ag3PO4/NG, and Ag3PO4/P3HT for RhB degradation under visible light irradiation, especially the kinetic constant of Ag3PO4/NG/P3HT is more than 6 times of pristine Ag3PO4. The reactive oxygen species trapping experiments indicate that the degradation of RhB over the Ag3PO4/NG/P3HT composites mainly results from the holes oxidation and superoxide radical reduction. Besides, Ag3PO4/NG/P3HT composites exhibit better recyclability and stability than pristine Ag3PO4. Furthermore, the photocatalytic mechanism of Ag3PO4/NG/P3HT composites for RhB degradation under visible light was proposed as the synergistic effect of irradiated Ag3PO4, P3HT and NG sheets on the effective separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and the enhancement of visible light absorbance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanlin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Churu Xie
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Feng Long Gu
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Honghai Wu
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Qiang Guo
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
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