| 1. |
- Abe, K., et al.
(författare)
-
Neutron tagging following atmospheric neutrino events in a water Cherenkov detector
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Journal of Instrumentation. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 1748-0221. ; 17:10
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the development of neutron-tagging techniques in Super-Kamiokande IV using a neural network analysis. The detection efficiency of neutron capture on hydrogen is estimated to be 26%, with a mis-tag rate of 0.016 per neutrino event. The uncertainty of the tagging efficiency is estimated to be 9.0%. Measurement of the tagging efficiency with data from an Americium-Beryllium calibration agrees with this value within 10%. The tagging procedure was performed on 3,244.4 days of SK-IV atmospheric neutrino data, identifying 18,091 neutrons in 26,473 neutrino events. The fitted neutron capture lifetime was measured as 218 +/- 9 mu s.
|
|
| 2. |
- Pandya, Raj, et al.
(författare)
-
Microcavity-like exciton-polaritons can be the primary photoexcitation in bare organic semiconductors
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 12:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Strong-coupling between excitons and confined photonic modes can lead to the formation of new quasi-particles termed exciton-polaritons which can display a range of interesting properties such as super-fluidity, ultrafast transport and Bose-Einstein condensation. Strong-coupling typically occurs when an excitonic material is confided in a dielectric or plasmonic microcavity. Here, we show polaritons can form at room temperature in a range of chemically diverse, organic semiconductor thin films, despite the absence of an external cavity. We find evidence of strong light-matter coupling via angle-dependent peak splittings in the reflectivity spectra of the materials and emission from collective polariton states. We additionally show exciton-polaritons are the primary photoexcitation in these organic materials by directly imaging their ultrafast (5 × 106 m s−1), ultralong (~270 nm) transport. These results open-up new fundamental physics and could enable a new generation of organic optoelectronic and light harvesting devices based on cavity-free exciton-polaritons.
|
|
| 3. |
- Congrave, Daniel G., et al.
(författare)
-
Suppressing aggregation induced quenching in anthracene based conjugated polymers
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Polymer Chemistry. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 1759-9954 .- 1759-9962. ; 12:12, s. 1830-1836
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Anthracene is a highly valuable building block for luminescent conjugated polymers, particularly when a large singlet-triplet energy gap (Delta E-ST) is desired. Unfortunately, the extended pi system of anthracene imparts a strong tendency for polymer aggregation, resulting in detrimental effects on its solid state photophysics. A large decrease in photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY, phi(F)) on going from solution to the solid state is especially common, represented in terms of a low phi(R) (phi(R) = phi(F film)/phi(F sol.)). Significant and undesirable red-shifting of fluorescence in the solid state is also typical due to processes such as excimer formation. In this work a series of alkylene-encapsulated conjugated anthracene polymers is developed to overcome these challenging problems. We demonstrate a promising material which displays a good solid state PLQY that is effectively unchanged compared to solution measurements (phi(R) similar to 1, phi(F film) similar to 40%), alongside an identical PL 0-0 transition wavelength in solution and thin film. Such a direct transfer of luminescence properties from solution to the solid state is remarkable for a conjugated polymer and completely unprecedented for one based on anthracene.
|
|
| 4. |
- Gillett, Alexander J., et al.
(författare)
-
Spontaneous exciton dissociation enables spin state interconversion in delayed fluorescence organic semiconductors
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Nature Portfolio. - 2041-1723. ; 12:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Engineering a low singlet-triplet energy gap (Delta E-ST) is necessary for efficient reverse intersystem crossing (rISC) in delayed fluorescence (DF) organic semiconductors but results in a small radiative rate that limits performance in LEDs. Here, we study a model DF material, BF2, that exhibits a strong optical absorption (absorption coefficient = 3.8 x 10(5) cm(-1)) and a relatively large Delta E-ST of 0.2 eV. In isolated BF2 molecules, intramolecular rISC is slow (delayed lifetime = 260 mu s), but in aggregated films, BF2 generates intermolecular charge transfer (inter-CT) states on picosecond timescales. In contrast to the microsecond intramolecular rISC that is promoted by spin-orbit interactions in most isolated DF molecules, photoluminescence-detected magnetic resonance shows that these inter-CT states undergo rISC mediated by hyperfine interactions on a similar to 24 ns timescale and have an average electron-hole separation of >= 1.5 nm. Transfer back to the emissive singlet exciton then enables efficient DF and LED operation. Thus, access to these inter-CT states, which is possible even at low BF2 doping concentrations of 4 wt%, resolves the conflicting requirements of fast radiative emission and low Delta E-ST in organic DF emitters.
|
|
| 5. |
- Gorman, Jeffrey, et al.
(författare)
-
Deoxyribonucleic Acid Encoded and Size-Defined π-Stacking of Perylene Diimides
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0002-7863 .- 1520-5126. ; 144:1, s. 368-376
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Natural photosystems use protein scaffolds to control intermolecular interactions that enable exciton flow, charge generation, and long-range charge separation. In contrast, there is limited structural control in current organic electronic devices such as OLEDs and solar cells. We report here the DNA-encoded assembly of pi-conjugated perylene diimides (PDIs) with deterministic control over the number of electronically coupled molecules. The PDIs are integrated within DNA chains using phosphoramidite coupling chemistry, allowing selection of the DNA sequence to either side, and specification of intermolecular DNA hybridization. In this way, we have developed a "toolbox" for construction of any stacking sequence of these semiconducting molecules. We have discovered that we need to use a full hierarchy of interactions: DNA guides the semiconductors into specified close proximity, hydrophobic-hydrophilic differentiation drives aggregation of the semiconductor moieties, and local geometry and electrostatic interactions define intermolecular positioning. As a result, the PDIs pack to give substantial intermolecular pi wave function overlap, leading to an evolution of singlet excited states from localized excitons in the PDI monomer to excimers with wave functions delocalized over all five PDIs in the pentamer. This is accompanied by a change in the dominant triplet forming mechanism from localized spin-orbit charge transfer mediated intersystem crossing for the monomer toward a delocalized excimer process for the pentamer. Our modular DNA-based assembly reveals real opportunities for the rapid development of bespoke semiconductor architectures with molecule-by-molecule precision.
|
|
| 6. |
- Orsborne, Sarah R.E., et al.
(författare)
-
Photogeneration of Spin Quintet Triplet-Triplet Excitations in DNA-Assembled Pentacene Stacks
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society. - 0002-7863 .- 1520-5126. ; 145:9, s. 5431-5438
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Singlet fission (SF), an exciton-doubling process observed in certain molecular semiconductors where two triplet excitons are generated from one singlet exciton, requires correctly tuned intermolecular coupling to allow separation of the two triplets to different molecular units. We explore this using DNA-encoded assembly of SF-capable pentacenes into discrete π-stacked constructs of defined size and geometry. Precise structural control is achieved via a combination of the DNA duplex formation between complementary single-stranded DNA and the local molecular geometry that directs the SF chromophores into a stable and predictable slip-stacked configuration, as confirmed by molecular dynamics (MD) modeling. Transient electron spin resonance spectroscopy revealed that within these DNA-assembled pentacene stacks, SF evolves via a bound triplet pair quintet state, which subsequently converts into free triplets. SF evolution via a long-lived quintet state sets specific requirements on intermolecular coupling, rendering the quintet spectrum and its zero-field-splitting parameters highly sensitive to intermolecular geometry. We have found that the experimental spectra and zero-field-splitting parameters are consistent with a slight systematic strain relative to the MD-optimized geometry. Thus, the transient electron spin resonance analysis is a powerful tool to test and refine the MD-derived structure models. DNA-encoded assembly of coupled semiconductor molecules allows controlled construction of electronically functional structures, but brings with it significant dynamic and polar disorders. Our findings here of efficient SF through quintet states demonstrate that these conditions still allow efficient and controlled semiconductor operation and point toward future opportunities for constructing functional optoelectronic systems.
|
|
| 7. |
- Toolan, Daniel T. W., et al.
(författare)
-
Insights into the Structure and Self-Assembly of Organic-Semiconductor/Quantum-Dot Blends
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Advanced Functional Materials. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1616-301X .- 1616-3028. ; 32:13
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Controlling the dispersibility of crystalline inorganic quantum dots (QD) within organic-QD nanocomposite films is critical for a wide range of optoelectronic devices. A promising way to control nanoscale structure in these nanocomposites is via the use of appropriate organic ligands on the QD, which help to compatibilize them with the organic host, both electronically and structurally. Here, using combined small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering, the authors demonstrate and quantify the incorporation of such a compatibilizing, electronically active, organic semiconductor ligand species into the native oleic acid ligand envelope of lead sulphide, QDs, and how this ligand loading may be easily controlled. Further more, in situ grazing incidence wide/small angle X-ray scattering demonstrate how QD ligand surface chemistry has a pronounced effect on the self-assembly of the nanocomposite film in terms of both small-molecule crystallization and QD dispersion versus ordering/aggregation. The approach demonstrated here shows the important role which the degree of incorporation of an active ligand, closely related in chemical structure to the host small-molecule organic matrix, plays in both the self-assembly of the QD and small-molecule components and in determining the final optoelectronic properties of the system.
|
|
| 8. |
- Toolan, Daniel T. W., et al.
(författare)
-
Linking microscale morphologies to localised performance in singlet fission quantum dot photon multiplier thin films
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Journal of Materials Chemistry C. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7526 .- 2050-7534. ; 10:31, s. 11192-11198
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hybrid small-molecule/quantum dot films have the potential to reduce thermalization losses in single-junction photovoltaics as photon multiplication devices. Here grazing incidence X-ray scattering, optical microscopy and IR fluorescence microscopy (probing materials at two distinct wavelengths), provide new insight into highly complex morphologies across nm and mu m lengthscales to provide direct links between morphologies and photon multiplication performance. Results show that within the small molecule crystallites three different QD morphologies may be identified; (i) large quantum dot aggregates at the crystallite nucleus, (ii) relatively well-dispersed quantum dots and (iii) as aggregated quantum dots "swept" from the growing crystallite and that regions containing aggregate quantum dot features lead to relatively poor photon multiplication performance. These results establish how combinations of scattering and microscopy may be employed to reveal new insights into the structure and function of small molecule:quantum dot blends.
|
|
| 9. |
- Gillett, Alexander J., et al.
(författare)
-
The role of charge recombination to triplet excitons in organic solar cells
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Nature. - : NATURE PORTFOLIO. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 597:7878, s. 666-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The use of non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) in organic solar cells has led to power conversion efficiencies as high as 18%(1). However, organic solar cells are still less efficient than inorganic solar cells, which typically have power conversion efficiencies of more than 20%(2). A key reason for this difference is that organic solar cells have low open-circuit voltages relative to their optical bandgaps(3), owing to non-radiative recombination(4). For organic solar cells to compete with inorganic solar cells in terms of efficiency, non-radiative loss pathways must be identified and suppressed. Here we show that in most organic solar cells that use NFAs, the majority of charge recombination under open-circuit conditions proceeds via the formation of non-emissive NFA triplet excitons; in the benchmark PM6:Y6 blend(5), this fraction reaches 90%, reducing the open-circuit voltage by 60 mV. We prevent recombination via this non-radiative channel by engineering substantial hybridization between the NFA triplet excitons and the spin-triplet charge-transfer excitons. Modelling suggests that the rate of back charge transfer from spin-triplet charge-transfer excitons to molecular triplet excitons may be reduced by an order of magnitude, enabling re-dissociation of the spin-triplet charge-transfer exciton. We demonstrate NFA systems in which the formation of triplet excitons is suppressed. This work thus provides a design pathway for organic solar cells with power conversion efficiencies of 20% or more. A substantial pathway for energy loss in organic solar cells may be suppressed by engineering hybridization between non-fullerene acceptor triplet excitons and spin-triplet charge transfer excitons.
|
|
| 10. |
- Guo, Renjun, et al.
(författare)
-
Degradation mechanisms of perovskite solar cells under vacuum and one atmosphere of nitrogen
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Nature Energy. - : Springer Nature. - 2058-7546. ; 6:10, s. 977-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Extensive studies have focused on improving the operational stability of perovskite solar cells, but few have surveyed the fundamental degradation mechanisms. One aspect overlooked in earlier works is the effect of the atmosphere on device performance during operation. Here we investigate the degradation mechanisms of perovskite solar cells operated under vacuum and under a nitrogen atmosphere using synchrotron radiation-based operando grazing-incidence X-ray scattering methods. Unlike the observations described in previous reports, we find that light-induced phase segregation, lattice shrinkage and morphology deformation occur under vacuum. Under nitrogen, only lattice shrinkage appears during the operation of solar cells, resulting in better device stability. The different behaviour under nitrogen is attributed to a larger energy barrier for lattice distortion and phase segregation. Finally, we find that the migration of excessive PbI2 to the interface between the perovskite and the hole transport layer degrades the performance of devices under vacuum or under nitrogen. Understanding degradation mechanisms in perovskite solar cells is key to their development. Now, Guo et al. show a greater degradation of the perovskite structure and morphology for devices operated under vacuum than under nitrogen.
|
|
