High mobility n-channel organic field-effect transistors based on soluble C60 and C70 fullerene derivatives

We report on n-channel organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) based on the solution processable methanofullerenes [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid ester ([60]PCBM) and [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester ([70]PCBM). Despite the fact that both derivatives form glassy films when processed from solution, their electron mobilities are high and on the order of 0.21 cm2/V s and 0.1 cm2/V s, for [60]PCBM and [70]PCBM, respectively. Although the derived mobility of [60]PCBM is comparable to the best values reported in the literature, the electron mobility of [70]PCBM is the highest value reported to date for any C70 based molecule. We note that this is the only report in which C60 and C70 methanofullerenes exhibit comparable electron mobilities. The present findings could have significant implications in the area of large-area organic electronics and organic photovoltaics where C60 derivatives have so far been the most widely used electron acceptor materials.

Observation of bi-polarons in blends of conjugated copolymers and fullerene derivatives

From a fundamental and application point of view it is of importance to understand how charge carrier generation and transport in a conjugated polymer (CP):fullerene blend are affected by the blend morphology. In this work light-induced electron spin resonance (LESR) spectra and transient ESR response signals are recorded on non-annealed and annealed blend layers consisting of alkyl substituted thieno[3,2-b]thiophene copolymers (pATBT) and the soluble fullerene derivative [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) at temperatures ranging from 10 to 180 K. Annealing of the blend sample leads to a reduction of the steady state concentration of light-induced PCBM anions within the blend at low temperatures (T = 10 K) and continuous illumination. This is explained on the basis of the reducing interfacial area of the blend composite on annealing, and the high activation energy for electron diffusion in PCBM blends leading to trapped electrons near the interface with the CP. As a consequence, these trapped electrons block consecutive electron transfer from an exciton on a CP to the PCBM domain, resulting in a relatively low concentration charge carriers in the annealed blend. Analysis of the transient ESR data allows us to conclude that in annealed samples diamagnetic bi-polaronic states on the CPs are generated at low temperature. The formation of these states is related to the generation and interaction of multiple positive polarons in the large crystalline polymer domains present in the annealed sample

Phase change composite bimorphs

A bilayer composite thin-film beam structure is described. The structure incorporates a bulk phase change material as small inclusions in one layer of a bimorph. The structure, also referred to as a “phase change composite bimorph” or “PCBM”, curls abruptly, and reversibly, at a phase transition temperature. Large curling and effective expansion coefficients are demonstrated. The PCBMs may be employed in various self-assembly mechanisms and actuators.Published versio

Absence of Structural Impact of Noble Nanoparticles on P3HT: PCBM Blends for Plasmon Enhanced Bulk-Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells Probed by Synchrotron Grazing Incidence X-Ray Diffraction

The incorporation of noble metal nanoparticles, displaying localized surface plasmon resonance, in the active area of donor-acceptor bulk-heterojunction organic photovoltaic devices is an industrially compatible light trapping strategy, able to guarantee better absorption of the incident photons and give an efficiency improvement between 12% and 38%. In the present work, we investigate the effect of Au and Ag nanoparticles blended with P3HT: PCBM on the P3HT crystallization dynamics by synchrotron grazing incidence X-ray diffraction. We conclude that the presence of (1) 80nm Au, (2) mix of 5nm, 50nm, 80nm Au, (3) 40nm Ag, and (4) 10nm, 40nm, 60nm Ag colloidal nanoparticles, at different concentrations below 0.3 wt% in P3HT: PCBM blends, does not affect the behaviour of the blends themselves

Bipolar polaron pair recombination in P3HT/PCBM solar cells

The unique properties of organic semiconductors make them versatile base materials for many applications ranging from light emitting diodes to transistors. The low spin-orbit coupling typical for carbon-based materials and the resulting long spin lifetimes give rise to a large influence of the electron spin on charge transport which can be exploited in spintronic devices or to improve solar cell efficiencies. Magnetic resonance techniques are particularly helpful to elucidate the microscopic structure of paramagnetic states in semiconductors as well as the transport processes they are involved in. However, in organic devices the nature of the dominant spin-dependent processes is still subject to considerable debate. Using multi-frequency pulsed electrically detected magnetic resonance (pEDMR), we show that the spin-dependent response of P3HT/PCBM solar cells at low temperatures is governed by bipolar polaron pair recombination involving the positive and negative polarons in P3HT and PCBM, respectively, thus excluding a unipolar bipolaron formation as the main contribution to the spin-dependent charge transfer in this temperature regime. Moreover the polaron-polaron coupling strength and the recombination times of polaron pairs with parallel and antiparallel spins are determined. Our results demonstrate that the pEDMR pulse sequences recently developed for inorganic semiconductor devices can very successfully be transferred to the study of spin and charge transport in organic semiconductors, in particular when the different polarons can be distinguished spectrally

Semiconducting Monolayer Materials as a Tunable Platform for Excitonic Solar Cells

The recent advent of two-dimensional monolayer materials with tunable optoelectronic properties and high carrier mobility offers renewed opportunities for efficient, ultra-thin excitonic solar cells alternative to those based on conjugated polymer and small molecule donors. Using first-principles density functional theory and many-body calculations, we demonstrate that monolayers of hexagonal BN and graphene (CBN) combined with commonly used acceptors such as PCBM fullerene or semiconducting carbon nanotubes can provide excitonic solar cells with tunable absorber gap, donor-acceptor interface band alignment, and power conversion efficiency, as well as novel device architectures. For the case of CBN-PCBM devices, we predict the limit of power conversion efficiencies to be in the 10 - 20% range depending on the CBN monolayer structure. Our results demonstrate the possibility of using monolayer materials in tunable, efficient, polymer-free thin-film solar cells in which unexplored exciton and carrier transport regimes are at play.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure