| 1. |
- Congrave, Daniel G., et al.
(author)
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Suppressing aggregation induced quenching in anthracene based conjugated polymers
- 2021
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In: Polymer Chemistry. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 1759-9954 .- 1759-9962. ; 12:12, s. 1830-1836
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)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.
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| 2. |
- Gray, Victor, Dr, 1988-, et al.
(author)
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Ligand-Directed Self-Assembly of Organic-Semiconductor/Quantum-Dot Blend Films Enables Efficient Triplet Exciton-Photon Conversion
- 2024
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In: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0002-7863 .- 1520-5126. ; 146:11, s. 7763-7770
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Blends comprising organic semiconductors and inorganic quantum dots (QDs) are relevant for many optoelectronic applications and devices. However, the individual components in organic-QD blends have a strong tendency to aggregate and phase-separate during film processing, compromising both their structural and electronic properties. Here, we demonstrate a QD surface engineering approach using electronically active, highly soluble semiconductor ligands that are matched to the organic semiconductor host material to achieve well-dispersed inorganic-organic blend films, as characterized by X-ray and neutron scattering, and electron microscopies. This approach preserves the electronic properties of the organic and QD phases and also creates an optimized interface between them. We exemplify this in two emerging applications, singlet-fission-based photon multiplication (SF-PM) and triplet-triplet annihilation-based photon upconversion (TTA-UC). Steady-state and time-resolved optical spectroscopy shows that triplet excitons can be transferred with near unity efficiently across the organic-inorganic interface, while the organic films maintain efficient SF (190% yield) in the organic phase. By changing the relative energy between organic and inorganic components, yellow upconverted emission is observed upon 790 nm NIR excitation. Overall, we provide a highly versatile approach to overcome longstanding challenges in the blending of organic semiconductors with QDs that have relevance for many optical and optoelectronic applications.
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| 3. |
- Gray, Victor, Dr, 1988-, et al.
(author)
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Triplet transfer from PbS quantum dots to tetracene ligands : is faster always better?
- 2022
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In: Journal of Materials Chemistry C. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7526 .- 2050-7534. ; 10:43, s. 16321-16329
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Quantum dot-organic semiconductor hybrid materials are gaining increasing attention as spin mixers for applications ranging from solar harvesting to spin memories. Triplet energy transfer between the inorganic quantum dot (QD) and organic semiconductor is a key step to understand in order to develop these applications. Here we report on the triplet energy transfer from PbS QDs to four energetically and structurally similar tetracene ligands. Even with similar ligands we find that the triplet energy transfer dynamics can vary significantly. For TIPS-tetracene derivatives with carboxylic acid, acetic acid and methanethiol anchoring groups on the short pro-cata side we find that triplet transfer occurs through a stepwise process, mediated via a surface state, whereas for monosubstituted TIPS-tetracene derivative 5-(4-benzoic acid)-12-triisopropylsilylethynyl tetracene (BAT) triplet transfer occurs directly, albeit slower, via a Dexter exchange mechanism. Even though triplet transfer is slower with BAT the overall yield is greater, as determined from upconverted emission using rubrene emitters. This work highlights that the surface-mediated transfer mechanism is plagued with parasitic loss pathways and that materials with direct Dexter-like triplet transfer are preferred for high-efficiency applications.
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| 4. |
- Honarfar, Alireza, et al.
(author)
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Ultrafast dynamics in QD based photoelectrochemical cells
- 2019
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In: Physical Chemistry of Semiconductor Materials and Interfaces XVIII. - : SPIE. - 9781510628618 ; 11084
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We have prepared electrodes for photo-electro-chemical cells which have enabled to pre-charge colloidal quantum dots in well-controlled fashion. Femtosecond transient absorption measurements were carried out revealing clear speed-up of the photo-induced charge carrier dynamics, particularly the recombination. Such studies allow to understand the behavior of light harvesting materials in operational conditions of optoelectronic devices giving new recipes for improvements.
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| 5. |
- Howard, Ian A., et al.
(author)
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Charge Recombination and Exciton Annihilation Reactions in Conjugated Polymer Blends
- 2010
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In: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - 0002-7863. ; 132:1, s. 328-335
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Bimolecular interactions between excitations in conjugated polymer thin films are important because they influence the efficiency of many optoelectronic devices that require high excitation densities. Using time-resolved optical spectroscopy, we measure the bimolecular interactions of charges, singlet excitons, and triplet excitons in intimately mixed polyfluorene blends with band-edge offsets optimized for photoinduced electron transfer. Bimolecular charge recombination and triplet−triplet annihilation are negligible, but exciton−charge interactions are efficient. The annihilation of singlet excitons by charges occurs on picosecond time-scales and reaches a rate equivalent to that of charge transfer. Triplet exciton annihilation by charges occurs on nanosecond time-scales. The surprising absence of nongeminate charge recombination is shown to be due to the limited mobility of charge carriers at the heterojunction. Therefore, extremely high densities of charge pairs can be maintained in the blend. The absence of triplet−triplet annihilation is a consequence of restricted triplet diffusion in the blend morphology. We suggest that the rate and nature of bimolecular interactions are determined by the stochastic excitation distribution in the polymer blend and the limited connectivity between the polymer domains. A model based on these assumptions quantitatively explains the effects. Our findings provide a comprehensive framework for understanding bimolecular recombination and annihilation processes in nanostructured materials.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Zeng, Weixuan, et al.
(author)
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Excited state character of Cibalackrot-type compounds interpreted in terms of Hückel-aromaticity : a rationale for singlet fission chromophore design
- 2021
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In: Chemical Science. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2041-6520 .- 2041-6539. ; 12:17, s. 6159-6171
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The exact energies of the lowest singlet and triplet excited states in organic chromophores are crucial to their performance in optoelectronic devices. The possibility of utilizing singlet fission to enhance the performance of photovoltaic devices has resulted in a wide demand for tuneable, stable organic chromophores with wide S1–T1 energy gaps (>1 eV). Cibalackrot-type compounds were recently considered to have favorably positioned excited state energies for singlet fission, and they were found to have a degree of aromaticity in the lowest triplet excited state (T1). This work reports on a revised and deepened theoretical analysis taking into account the excited state Hückel-aromatic (instead of Baird-aromatic) as well as diradical characters, with the aim to design new organic chromophores based on this scaffold in a rational way starting from qualitative theory. We demonstrate that the substituent strategy can effectively adjust the spin distribution on the chromophore and thereby manipulate the excited state energy levels. Additionally, the improved understanding of the aromatic characters enables us to demonstrate a feasible design strategy to vary the excited state energy levels by tuning the number and nature of Hückel-aromatic units in the excited state. Finally, our study elucidates the complications and pitfalls of the excited state aromaticity and antiaromaticity concepts, highlighting that quantitative results from quantum chemical calculations of various aromaticity indices must be linked with qualitative theoretical analysis of the character of the excited states.
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