Efficient ternary organic photovoltaics incorporating a graphene-based porphyrin molecule as a universal electron cascade material

A graphene-based porphyrin molecule (GO-TPP) was synthesized by covalent linkage of graphene oxide (GO) with 5-(4-aminophenyl)-10,15,20-triphenyl porphyrin (TPP-NH2). The yielded graphene-based material is a donor-acceptor (D-A) molecule, exhibiting strong intermolecular interactions between the GO core (A) and the covalently anchored porphyrin molecule (D). To demonstrate the universal role of GO-TPP as an electron cascade material, ternary blend organic photovoltaics based on [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric-acid-methyl-ester (PC71BM) as an electron acceptor material and two different polymer donor materials, poly[N-9'-hepta-decanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(40,70-di-2-thienyl-20,10,30-benzothiadiazole)] (PCDTBT) and the highly efficient poly({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), were fabricated. The addition of GO-TPP into the active layer implies continuous percolation paths between the D-A interfaces, enhancing charge transport, reducing exciton recombination and thus improving the photovoltaic performance of the device. A simultaneous increase of short circuit current density (Jsc), open-circuit voltage (Voc) and fill factor (FF), compared to the PTB7:PC71BM reference cell, led to an improved power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.81% for the PTB7:GO-TPP:PC71BM-based device, owing mainly to the more efficient energy level offset between the active layer components.

Temperature Dependence of the Morphology of Thin Diblock Copolymer Films as Revealed by Neutron Reflectivity

The order-disorder transition in thin films of symmetric diblock copolymers of polystyrene and polymethylmethacrylate has been investigated by neutron reflectivity. At temperatures above the order-disorder temperature, TMST, a surface induced oscillatory segment density profile with an exponential decay length, χ, is observed. The inverse of decay length 1/≤ TMST a lamellar morphology oriented parallel to the surface propagates through the entire specimen.

Metal nanocrystals incorporated within pH-responsive microgel particles

Cross-linked sterically stabilized latexes of approximately 250 nm diameter were synthesized by emulsion polymerization of 2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate using a bifunctional oligo(propylene oxide)-based diacrylate cross-linker and a poly(ethylene oxide)-based macromonomer as the stabilizer at pH 9. These particles exhibit reversible swelling properties in water by adjusting the solution pH. At low pH, they exist as swollen microgels as a result of protonation of the tertiary amine units. Deswelling occurs above pH 7 [the effective pK(a) of poly(2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)], leading to the formation of the original compact latex particles. The swollen microgels can be used as nanoreactors: efficient impregnation with Pt nanoparticles can be achieved by incorporating precursor platinum compounds, followed by metal reduction. Dynamic light scattering was used to compare two methods of Pt nanoparticle impregnation with respect to the size and stability of the final Pt-loaded microgel particles. In the first method, the H2PtCl6 precursor was added to hydrophobic latex particles at high pH, followed by metal reduction. In the second method, H2PtCl6 was added to hydrophilic swollen microgel particles at low pH, and then this metal salt was reduced in situ using NaBH4 and the pH was raised by the addition of base. Both the Pt salt-loaded (metalated) microgels and the final Pt nanoparticle-loaded microgels had well-defined structures that were independent of the synthesis route. Polymer-metal interactions were investigated by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, which confirmed that the Pt salt was completely reduced to zero-valent Pt. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction studies verified the formation of nanometer-sized Pt nanoparticles within these microgels, which can be used as recoverable colloidal catalyst supports for various organic reactions.

Nanoscopic-confinement effects on local dynamics

The segmental dynamics of 1.5-2.0 nm polymer films confined between parallel solid surfaces is investigated with dielectric spectroscopy in polymer/silicate intercalated nanocomposites. The confinement effect is evident by the observation of a mode, much faster than the bulk-polymer alpha relaxation and exhibiting much weaker temperature dependence. This is discussed in relation to either the interlayer spacing restricting the cooperative volume of the alpha relaxation or to the dominance of the more mobile interphase regions as predicted by simulations; the data qualitatively support the former.

Probing Collective Motions of Terminally Anchored Polymers

Polymer chains attached by one end to an impenetrable surface at high coverage exemplify a tethered layer of mesoscopic dimensions. At equilibrium, thermal fluctuations of the segment density profile of the brushlike layer reflect the tethered chain dynamics; the probing of these fluctuations by evanescent-wave dynamic light scattering is reported. By utilizing a set of terminally attached layers with thicknesses (L0) from 45 to 130 nanometers, it was found that there is a preferred wavelength of order L0 of these fluctuations with a concurrent slowing down of their thermal decay rate. This technique could open the route for the investigation of the largely unexplored area of polymer surface dynamics.