Molecular Origin of the Charge Carrier Mobility in Small Molecule Organic Semiconductors

Small-molecule organic semiconductors are used in a wide spectrum of applications, ranging from organic light emitting diodes to organic photovoltaics. However, the low carrier mobility severely limits their potential, e.g., for large area devices. A number of factors determine mobility, such as molecular packing, electronic structure, dipole moment, and polarizability. Presently, quantitative ab initio models to assess the influence of these molecule-dependent properties are lacking. Here, a multiscale model is presented, which provides an accurate prediction of experimental data over ten orders of magnitude in mobility, and allows for the decomposition of the carrier mobility into molecule-specific quantities. Molecule-specific quantitative measures are provided how two single molecule properties, the dependence of the orbital energy on conformation, and the dipole-induced polarization determine mobility for hole-transport materials. The availability of first-principles based models to compute key performance characteristics of organic semiconductors may enable in silico screening of numerous chemical compounds for the development of highly efficient optoelectronic devices

Pseudo-nitzschia physiological ecology, phylogeny, toxicity, monitoring and impacts on ecosystem health

This paper is not subject to U.S. copyright. The definitive version was published in Harmful Algae 14 (2012): 271-300, doi:10.1016/j.hal.2011.10.025.Over the last decade, our understanding of the environmental controls on Pseudo-nitzschia blooms and domoic acid (DA) production has matured. Pseudo-nitzschia have been found along most of the world's coastlines, while the impacts of its toxin, DA, are most persistent and detrimental in upwelling systems. However, Pseudo-nitzschia and DA have recently been detected in the open ocean's high-nitrate, low-chlorophyll regions, in addition to fjords, gulfs and bays, showing their presence in diverse environments. The toxin has been measured in zooplankton, shellfish, crustaceans, echinoderms, worms, marine mammals and birds, as well as in sediments, demonstrating its stable transfer through the marine food web and abiotically to the benthos. The linkage of DA production to nitrogenous nutrient physiology, trace metal acquisition, and even salinity, suggests that the control of toxin production is complex and likely influenced by a suite of environmental factors that may be unique to a particular region. Advances in our knowledge of Pseudo-nitzschia sexual reproduction, also in field populations, illustrate its importance in bloom dynamics and toxicity. The combination of careful taxonomy and powerful new molecular methods now allow for the complete characterization of Pseudo-nitzschia populations and how they respond to environmental changes. Here we summarize research that represents our increased knowledge over the last decade of Pseudo-nitzschia and its production of DA, including changes in worldwide range, phylogeny, physiology, ecology, monitoring and public health impacts

Knowledge Augmented Machine Learning with Applications in Autonomous Driving: A Survey

The existence of representative datasets is a prerequisite of many successful artificial intelligence and machine learning models. However, the subsequent application of these models often involves scenarios that are inadequately represented in the data used for training. The reasons for this are manifold and range from time and cost constraints to ethical considerations. As a consequence, the reliable use of these models, especially in safety-critical applications, is a huge challenge. Leveraging additional, already existing sources of knowledge is key to overcome the limitations of purely data-driven approaches, and eventually to increase the generalization capability of these models. Furthermore, predictions that conform with knowledge are crucial for making trustworthy and safe decisions even in underrepresented scenarios. This work provides an overview of existing techniques and methods in the literature that combine data-based models with existing knowledge. The identified approaches are structured according to the categories integration, extraction and conformity. Special attention is given to applications in the field of autonomous driving

Vorhersage des Ladungs- und Energietransports in organischen Kristallen mit quantenchemischen Methoden unter Verwendung des Sprungmodells

As organic semiconductors gain more importance for application, research into their properties has become necessary. This work investigated the exciton and charge transport properties of organic semiconducting crystals. Based on a hopping approach, protocols have been developed for the calculation of Charge mobilities and singlet exciton diffusion coefficients. The protocols do not require any input from experimental data except for the x-ray crystal structure, since all needed quantities can be taken from high-level quantum chemical calculations. Hence, they allow to predict the transport properties of yet unknown compounds for given packings, which is important for a rational design of new materials. Different thermally activated hopping models based on time-dependent perturbation theory were studied for the charge and exciton transport; i. e. the spectral overlap approach, the Marcus theory, and the Levich-Jortner theory. Their derivations were presented coherently in order to emphasize the different levels of approximations and their respective prerequisites. A short reference was made to the empirical Miller-Abrahams hopping rate. Rate equation approaches to calculate the stationary charge carrier mobilities and exciton diffusion coefficients have been developed, which are based on the master equation. The rate equation approach is faster and more efficient than the frequently used Monte Carlo method and, therefore, provides the possibility to study the anisotropy of the transport parameters and their three-dimensional representation in the crystal. The Marcus theory, originally derived for outer sphere electron transfer in solvents, had already been well established for charge transport in organic solids. It was shown that this theory fits even better for excitons than for charges compared with the experiment. The Levich-Jortner theory strongly overestimates the charge carrier mobilities and the results deviate even stronger from the experiment than those obtained with the Marcus theory. The latter contains larger approximations by treating all vibrational modes classically. The spectral overlap approach in combination with the developed rate equations leads to even quantitatively very good results for exciton diffusion lengths compared to experiment. This approach and the appendant rate equations have also been adapted to charge transport. The Einstein relation, which relates the diffusion coefficient with the mobility, is important for the rate equations, which have been developed here for transport in organic crystals. It has been argued that this relation does not hold in disordered organic materials. This was analyzed within the Framework of the Gaussian disorder model and the Miller-Abrahams hopping rate.Organische Halbleiter gewinnen immer größere Bedeutung für Anwendungen in der Elektronik. In dieser Arbeit wurden deren Eigenschaften bezüglich des Exzitonen- und Ladungstransports untersucht. Diese beiden Prozesse sind wesentlich für viele Bauteile der organischen Elektronik, wie zum Beispiel Solarzellen. Ausgehend von einem Sprungmodell wurden Verfahren zur Berechnung von Ladungsträgerbeweglichkeiten und Diffusionskoeffizienten von Singulettanregungen entwickelt, wofür bis auf die Röntgenstruktur des Kristalls keine weiteren experimentellen Daten benötigt werden, da alle notwendigen Größen durch quantenchemische Rechnungen auf hohem Niveau bestimmt werden können. Dies ermöglicht die Vorhersage der Transporteigenschaften von noch unbekannten Materialien mit bekannter Struktur, was eine Voraussetzung für das Maßschneidern neuer Materialien darstellt. Verschiedene, auf der zeitabhängigen Störungstheorie basierende thermisch aktivierte Sprungmodelle - der spektrale Überlappungsansatz, die Marcus- und die Levich-Jortner-Theorie - wurden für die Anwendung auf den Ladungs- und Energietransport hin untersucht. Ausgehend von Fermis Goldener Regel wurden die Sprunggleichungen konsistent hergeleitet, um die verschiedenen Abstufungen der jeweils vorgenommenen Näherungen und deren Voraussetzungen deutlich zu machen. Zusätzlich dazu wurde ein kurzer Exkurs zur empirischen Miller-Abrahams-Sprungrate und deren Anwendung in amorphen Systemen gemacht. Unter Verwendung der Mastergleichung wurden Ratengleichungsansätze zur Berechnung der stationären Ladungsträgerbeweglichkeiten und Exzitonendiffusionskoeffizienten entwickelt. Die Berechnung der Transportgrößen über Ratengleichungen ist wesentlich schneller und effizienter als die häufig angewendete Monte-Carlo-Simulation. Dies ermöglicht die Analyse der Anisotropie des Transports im Kristall und ihre dreidimensionale Darstellung. Die Marcustheorie, die ursprünglich für Elektronentransfer in Lösungen entwickelt wurde, hat sich auch für Ladungstransport in organischen Festkörpern bewährt. Hier wurde diese Theorie auch auf Exzitonentransport übertragen und gezeigt, daß sie im Vergleich zum Experiment für Exzitonen sogar bessere Ergebnisse liefert als für Ladungsträger. Die Levich-Jortner-Theorie überschätzt die Ladungsträgerbeweglichkeiten im Falle der Acene sehr stark. Ihre Ergebnisse weichen sogar stärker vom Experiment ab als die der Marcustheorie. Letztere enthält deutlich stärkere Näherungen, weil alle Molekülschwingungen klassisch behandelt werden. Der spektrale Überlappungsansatz führt zusammen mit den hier entwickelten Ratengleichungen sogar zu quantitativ guten Ergebnissen für die Exzitonendiffusion. Dieser Ansatz und die Ratengleichungen wurden auch für die Berechnung der Ladungsträgerbeweglichkeiten angepaßt. Für die in dieser Arbeit entwickelten Ratengleichungen ist die Einsteinrelation, welche die Diffusion mit der Drift in Beziehung setzt, von zentraler Bedeutung. Es ist umstritten, ob diese Beziehung auch in amorphen, ungeordneten Materialien gültig ist. Dieser Frage wurde im Rahmen des Gaußschen Unordnungsmodells und der Miller-Abrahams-Sprungrate nachgegangen

Grau de exposição a praguicidas organoclorados em moradores de aterro a céu aberto Levels of exposure to organochlorine pesticides in open-air dump dwellers

OBJETIVO: Estimar o grau de exposição interna aos praguicidas organoclorados (POP) dos moradores de um atêrro a céu aberto. MÉTODOS: Estudo observacional, de aferição simultânea e controlado, cujo fator de estudo foi residir em área contaminada por POP e o efeito foi a concentração sanguínea dessas substâncias. A população de estudo foi de 238 pessoas residentes em um aterro a céu aberto (Pilões), no município de Cubatão, SP; e a população de controle ficou dimensionada em 258 pessoas, também residentes no mesmo município (Cota 200). Foram analisados os praguicidas HCB, p-p'DDT, p-p'DDE, p-p'DDD, o-p'DDT, a HCH; b HCH; g HCH; Aldrin; Dieldrin; Endrin; Heptaclor; Heptaclor-epoxi e Mirex. RESULTADOS: Os teores médios sangüíneos de HCB em Pilões foram de 4,66 µg/L, 155 vezes maior que a média na Cota 200 (0,03 µg/L). Em Pilões, os teores médios de DDT total foram de 3,71 µg/L, duas vezes maior do que na Cota 200 (1,85 µg/L) e o HCH total apresentou concentrações sangüíneas seis vezes maiores em Pilões, 0,84 µg/L, contra 0,13 µg/L. CONCLUSÕES: Evidenciou-se associação positiva entre residir em Pilões e apresentar teores sangüíneos de POP, com risco muitas vezes maior quando comparado a localidades sem a presença desses contaminantes.<br>OBJECTIVE: To estimate the degree of internal exposure to organochlorine pesticides (persistent organic pollutants, POP) among inhabitants of an open-air dump. METHODS: This was an observational study with simultaneous measurement and control, in which the criterion for subjects was that they dwelled in an area contaminated by POP and the effect of such contamination was the concentration of such substances into the blood. The study population consisted of 238 people living on an open-air dump in Pilões, in the municipality of Cubatão, SP, Brazil, and the control population was formed by 258 people, also resident in that municipality, in the Cota 200 district. The following pesticides were analysed: hexachlorobenzene (HCB), p-p'DDT, p-p'DDE, p-p'DDD, o-p'DDT, a HCH (hexachlorocyclohexane); b HCH; g HCH; aldrin; dieldrin; endrin; heptachlor; heptachlor-epoxy and mirex. RESULTS: The average blood level of HCB in Pilões was 4.66 µg/l, which was 155 times higher than the average for Cota 200 (0.03 µg/l). In Pilões the average blood concentration of total DDT was 3.71 µg/l, which was twice the level found in Cota 200 (1.85 µg/l). Total HCH presented blood concentrations that were six times greater in Pilões (0.84 µg/l versus 0.13 µg/l). CONCLUSIONS: A positive association was shown between dwelling in Pilões and the presence of POP in the blood, with much higher risks than in localities without the presence of these contaminants

Identification of Ultrafast Relaxation Processes As a Major Reason for Inefficient Exciton Diffusion in Perylene-Based Organic Semiconductors

The exciton diffusion length (<i>L</i>_D) is a key parameter for the efficiency of organic optoelectronic devices. Its limitation to the nm length scale causes the need of complex bulk-heterojunction solar cells incorporating difficulties in long-term stability and reproducibility. A comprehensive model providing an atomistic understanding of processes that limit exciton trasport is therefore highly desirable and will be proposed here for perylene-based materials. Our model is based on simulations with a hybrid approach which combines high-level ab initio computations for the part of the system directly involved in the described processes with a force field to include environmental effects. The adequacy of the model is shown by detailed comparison with available experimental results. The model indicates that the short exciton diffusion lengths of α-perylene tetracarboxylicdianhydride (PTCDA) are due to ultrafast relaxation processes of the optical excitation via intermolecular motions leading to a state from which further exciton diffusion is hampered. As the efficiency of this mechanism depends strongly on molecular arrangement and environment, the model explains the strong dependence of <i>L</i>_D on the morphology of the materials, for example, the differences between α-PTCDA and diindenoperylene. Our findings indicate how relaxation processes can be diminished in perylene-based materials. This model can be generalized to other organic compounds