Photoelectrochemical cells based on emeraldine base form of polyaniline

Photoelectrochemical cells (PECs) have been fabricated using the emeraldine base form of polyaniline (EB) as a photoactive material and Eu2+/Eu3+ redox couple in methanol as an electrolyte. A PEC with a structure: Glass/ITO/EB/electrolyte/Pt produces an open-circuit voltage (V OC) of -0.132 V and a short-circuit current (I SC) of 0.64 µA cm-2 under 50 mW cm-2 white light illumination from Xe lamp. In an effort to increase the photoresponse, a PEC with a structure: Glass/ITO/EB:Nc-TiO2/Electrolyte/Pt has been devised in which a composite film of EB and nanocrystalline TiO2 (Nc-TiO2) is used as a photoactive material. The cell shows a V OC of -0.205 V and an I SC of 105 µA cm-2 when illuminated under the same conditions

Inverted bulk-heterojunction solar cell with cross-linked hole-blocking layer

AbstractWe have developed a hole-blocking layer for bulk-heterojunction solar cells based on cross-linked polyethylenimine (PEI). We tested five different ether-based cross-linkers and found that all of them give comparable solar cell efficiencies. The initial idea that a cross-linked layer is more solvent resistant compared to a pristine PEI layer could not be confirmed. With and without cross-linking, the PEI layer sticks very well to the surface of the indium–tin–oxide electrode and cannot be removed by solvents used to process PEI or common organic semiconductors. The cross-linked PEI hole-blocking layer functions for multiple donor–acceptor blends. We found that using cross-linkers improves the reproducibility of the device fabrication process

High performance n-channel organic field-effect transistors and ring oscillators based on C60 fullerene films

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(Photo)physical properties of new molecular glasses end-capped with thiophene rings composed of diimide and imine units

New symmetrical arylene bisimide derivatives formed by using electron-donating-electron-accepting systems were synthesized. They consist of a phthalic diimide or naphthalenediimide core and imine linkages and are end-capped with thiophene, bithiophene, and (ethylenedioxy)thiophene units. Moreover, polymers were obtained from a new diamine, N,N′-bis(5- aminonaphthalenyl)naphthalene-1,4,5,8-dicarboximide and 2,5- thiophenedicarboxaldehyde or 2,2′-bithiophene-5,5′-dicarboxaldehyde. The prepared azomethine diimides exhibited glass-forming properties. The obtained compounds emitted blue light with the emission maximum at 470 nm. The value of the absorption coefficient was determined as a function of the photon energy using spectroscopic ellipsometry. All compounds are electrochemically active and undergo reversible electrochemical reduction and irreversible oxidation processes as was found in cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) studies. They exhibited a low electrochemically (DPV) calculated energy band gap (Eg) from 1.14 to 1.70 eV. The highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital levels and Eg were additionally calculated theoretically by density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level. The photovoltaic properties of two model compounds as the active layer in organic solar cells in the configuration indium tin oxide/poly(3,4-(ethylenedioxy)thiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)/active layer/Al under an illumination of 1.3 mW/cm2 were studied. The device comprising poly(3-hexylthiophene) with the compound end-capped with bithiophene rings showed the highest value of Voc (above 1 V). The conversion efficiency of the fabricated solar cell was in the range of 0.69-0.90%

Photovoltaic textile structure using polyaniline/carbon nanotube composite materials

In this paper, an investigation of flexible electrodes for photovoltaic textile structures utilizing polymer-based organic materials is presented. The composite structure consisting of a blend of water dispersible carbon nanotube:polyaniline(CNT:PANI) componentes with poly(3,4 ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)(PEDOT:PSS)was applied to be used as the hole collection electrode in photovoltaic textile applications. Both photovoltaic textiles and conventional solar cells were fabricated by using a blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2-5-diyl)(P3HT):(6,6)-phenyl C6-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). All devices were characterized by measuring current versus voltage characteristics under AM 1.5 conditions. The nanoscale morphology of the photovoltaic structure was investigated using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy.Ayse Bedeloglu acknowledges the support of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBI.TAK) under Grant numbers 2211 and 2214. Pablo Jimenez acknowledges the ‘DGA/CAI‐Programa Europa’ for financial support and Fundacion Ramon Areces for his Ph.D. grant.Peer reviewe

Biocatalytic and Bioelectrocatalytic Approaches for the Reduction of Carbon Dioxide using Enzymes

In the recent decade, CO2 has increasingly been regarded not only as a greenhouse gas but even more as a chemical feedstock for carbon-based materials. Different strategies have evolved to realize CO2 utilization and conversion into fuels and chemicals. In particular, biological approaches have drawn attention, as natural CO2 conversion serves as a model for many processes. Microorganisms and enzymes have been studied extensively for redox reactions involving CO2. In this review, we focus on monitoring nonliving biocatalyzed reactions for the reduction of CO2 by using enzymes. We depict the opportunities but also challenges associated with utilizing such biocatalysts. Besides the application of enzymes with co-factors, resembling natural processes, and co-factor recovery, we also discuss implementation into photochemical and electrochemical techniques

Dielectric Function of Undoped and Doped Poly2-methoxy-5-(3 `,7 `-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylene-vinylene] by Ellipsometry in a Wide Spectral Range

Ellipsometric measurements in a wide spectral range (from 0.05 to 6.5 eV) have been carried out on the organic semiconducting polymer, poly2-methoxy-5-(3',7'-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylene-vinylene] (MDMO-PPV), in both undoped and doped states. The real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function and the refractive index are determined accurately, provided that the layer thickness is measured independently. After doping, the optical properties show the presence of new peaks, which could be well-resolved by spectroscopic ellipsometry. Also for the doped material, the complex refractive index, with respect to the dielectric function, has been determined. The broadening of the optical transitions is due to the delocalization of polarons at higher doping level. The detailed information about the dielectric function as well as refractive index function obtained by spectroscopic ellipsometry allows not only qualitative but also quantitative description of the optical properties of the undoped/doped polymer. For the direct characterization of the optical properties of MDMO-PPV, ellipsometry turns out to be advantageous compared to conventional reflection and transmission measurements