Adding Spin Functionality to Traditional Optoelectronics via Chiral Perovskite

Spin polarized current generation and injection into semiconductors at room temperature are key to enable a broader range of opto-spintronic functionalities, yet the inherent efficiency of spin injection across commonly used semiconductor-ferromagnet interfaces is limited. Here, we demonstrate efficient spin injection into commercially viable III-V light emitting diodes (LED) by integrating chiral halide perovskite layers with (AlxGa1-x)0.5In0.5P multiple quantum wells (MQW). Spin polarized current is injected via chirality induced spin selectivity (CISS) and the spin accumulation in the III-V semiconductor is detected via the emission of circularly polarized light with a degree of circular polarization of up to ~ 15%. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) cross sectional imaging indicate a pristine perovskite/III-V interface. These findings demonstrate chiral perovskite semiconductors transform well-developed semiconductor platforms to enable control over spin, charge, and light

Achieving spin-triplet exciton transfer between silicon and molecular acceptors for photon upconversion.

Inorganic semiconductor nanocrystals interfaced with spin-triplet exciton-accepting organic molecules have emerged as promising materials for converting incoherent long-wavelength light into the visible range. However, these materials to date have made exclusive use of nanocrystals containing toxic elements, precluding their use in biological or environmentally sensitive applications. Here, we address this challenge by chemically functionalizing non-toxic silicon nanocrystals with triplet-accepting anthracene ligands. Photoexciting these structures drives spin-triplet exciton transfer from silicon to anthracene through a single 15 ns Dexter energy transfer step with a nearly 50% yield. When paired with 9,10-diphenylanthracene emitters, these particles readily upconvert 488-640 nm photons to 425 nm violet light with efficiencies as high as 7 ± 0.9% and can be readily incorporated into aqueous micelles for biological use. Our demonstration of spin-triplet exciton transfer from silicon to molecular triplet acceptors can critically enable new technologies for solar energy conversion, quantum information and near-infrared driven photocatalysis

Achieving spin-triplet exciton transfer between silicon and molecular acceptors for photon upconversion.

Inorganic semiconductor nanocrystals interfaced with spin-triplet exciton-accepting organic molecules have emerged as promising materials for converting incoherent long-wavelength light into the visible range. However, these materials to date have made exclusive use of nanocrystals containing toxic elements, precluding their use in biological or environmentally sensitive applications. Here, we address this challenge by chemically functionalizing non-toxic silicon nanocrystals with triplet-accepting anthracene ligands. Photoexciting these structures drives spin-triplet exciton transfer from silicon to anthracene through a single 15 ns Dexter energy transfer step with a nearly 50% yield. When paired with 9,10-diphenylanthracene emitters, these particles readily upconvert 488-640 nm photons to 425 nm violet light with efficiencies as high as 7 ± 0.9% and can be readily incorporated into aqueous micelles for biological use. Our demonstration of spin-triplet exciton transfer from silicon to molecular triplet acceptors can critically enable new technologies for solar energy conversion, quantum information and near-infrared driven photocatalysis

Catalyst Halogenation Enables Rapid and Efficient Polymerizations with Visible to Near-Infrared Light

Driving rapid polymerizations with visible to near-infrared (NIR) light will enable nascent technologies in the emerging fields of bio- and composite-printing. However, current photopolymerization strategies are limited by long reaction times, high light intensities, and/or large catalyst loadings. Improving efficiency remains elusive without a comprehensive, mechanistic evaluation of photocatalysis to better understand how composition relates to polymerization metrics. With this objective in mind, a series of methine- and aza-bridged boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) derivatives were synthesized and systematically characterized to elucidate key structure-property relationships that facilitate efficient photopolymerization driven by visible to NIR light. For both BODIPY scaffolds, halogenation was shown as a general method to increase polymerization rate, quantitatively characterized using a custom real-time infrared spectroscopy setup. Furthermore, a combination of steady-state emission quenching experiments, electronic structure calculations, and ultrafast transient absorption revealed that efficient intersystem crossing to the lowest excited triplet state upon halogenation was a key mechanistic step to achieving rapid photopolymerization reactions. Unprecedented polymerization rates were achieved with extremely low light intensities (< 1 mW/cm 2) and catalyst loadings (< 50 μM), exemplified by reaction completion within 60 seconds of irradiation using green, red, and NIR light-emitting diodes.Work accomplished at the University of Texas at Austin was supported by the ARO STIR program of the Department of Defense (W911NF1910310 to Z.A.P.), Robert A. Welch Foundation (F-2007 to Z.A.P. and F-1885 to S.T.R.), and Research Corporation for Science Advancement via a Cottrell Scholars Award (24489 to S.T.R.). The authors acknowledge the use of shared research facilities supported in part by the Texas Materials Institute, the Center for Dynamics and Control of Materials: an NSF MRSEC (DMR- 1720595), and the NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (ECCS-1542159).Center for Dynamics and Control of Material

Surface States Mediate Triplet Energy Transfer in Nanocrystal–Acene Composite Systems

Hybrid organic:inorganic materials composed of semiconductor nanocrystals functionalized with acene ligands have recently emerged as a promising platform for photon upconversion. Infrared light absorbed by a nanocrystal excites charge carriers that can pass to surface-bound acenes, forming triplet excitons capable of fusing to produce visible radiation. To fully realize this scheme, energy transfer between nanocrystals and acenes must occur with high efficiency, yet the mechanism of this process remains poorly understood. To improve our knowledge of the fundamental steps involved in nanoparticle:acene energy transfer, we used ultrafast transient absorption to investigate excited electronic dynamics of PbS nanocrystals chemically functionalized with 6,13-bis­(triisopropylsilylethynyl)­pentacene (TIPS-pentacene) ligands. We find photoexcitation of PbS does not lead to direct triplet energy transfer to surface-bound TIPS-pentacene molecules but rather to the formation of an intermediate state within 40 ps. This intermediate persists for ∼100 ns before evolving to produce TIPS-pentacene triplet excitons. Analysis of transient absorption lineshapes suggests this intermediate corresponds to charge carriers localized at the PbS nanocrystal surface. This hypothesis is supported by constrained DFT calculations that find a large number of spin-triplet states at PbS NC surfaces. Though some of these states can facilitate triplet transfer, others serve as traps that hinder it. Our results highlight that nanocrystal surfaces play an active role in mediating energy transfer to bound acene ligands and must be considered when optimizing composite NC-based materials for photon upconversion, photocatalysis, and other optoelectronic applications

Metal Halide Perovskite Heterostructures: Blocking Anion Diffusion with Single-Layer Graphene

The development of metal halide perovskite/perovskite heterostructures is hindered by rapid interfacial halide diffusion leading to mixed alloys rather than sharp interfaces. To circumvent this outcome, we developed an ion-blocking layer consisting of single-layer graphene (SLG) deposited between the metal halide perovskite layers and demonstrated that it effectively blocks anion diffusion in a CsPbBr3/SLG/CsPbI3 heterostructure. Spatially resolved elemental analysis and spectroscopic measurements demonstrate the halides do not diffuse across the interface, whereas control samples without the SLG show rapid homogenization of the halides and loss of the sharp interface. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, DFT calculations, and transient absorbance spectroscopy indicate the SLG has little electronic impact on the individual semiconductors. In the CsPbBr3/SLG/CsPbI3, we find a type I band alignment that supports transfer of photogenerated carriers across the heterointerface. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) show electroluminescence from both the CsPbBr3 and CsPbI3 layers with no evidence of ion diffusion during operation. Our approach provides opportunities to design novel all-perovskite heterostructures to facilitate the control of charge and light in optoelectronic applications