Synthesis and characterization of thiophene and fluorene based donor–acceptor conjugated polymer containing 1,3,4-oxadiazole units for light-emitting diodes

A new donor–acceptor (D–A) conjugated polymer (PDTOF) containing 3,4-didodecyloxythiophene, fluorene and 1,3,4-oxadiazole units is synthesized by using Wittig reaction methodology. The synthesized polymer is characterized by ¹H NMR, FTIR, GPC, and elemental analysis. The optical energy band gap of the polymer is found to be 2.42 eV as calculated from the onset absorption edge. The electrochemical studies of PDTOF reveal that, the HOMO and LUMO energy levels of the polymer are ?5.45 eV and ?3.58 eV, respectively. The polymer is thermally stable up to 320 °C. Polymer light-emitting diode devices are fabricated with a configuration of ITO/PEDOT: PSS/PDTOF/Al using PDTOF as the emissive layer. The electroluminescence (EL) spectrum of the device showed green emission with CIE coordinate values (0.34, 0.47). By current density–voltage characteristics, threshold voltage of the PLED device is found to be 6.5 V.     

Synthesis and photophysical properties of donor–acceptor system based bipyridylporphyrins for dye-sensitized solar cells

Bipyridylporphyrin derivatives possessing a porphyrin moiety as the electron donor and bipyridyl moiety as the electron–acceptor were designed and synthesized for dye-sensitized solar cells(DSSCs). The photophysical and electrochemical properties were investigated by absorption spectrometry and cyclic voltammetry. Density functional theory(DFT) was employed to study electron distribution. From the photovoltaic performance measurements, a maximum conversion efficiency(η) of 0.38% was achieved based on the bipyridylporphyrin ruthenium dye A7(J_(SC)= 1.33 mA/cm~2, V_(OC)= 0.45 V, FF = 0.64) under 1.5 irradiation(100 mW/cm~2).     

2,1,3-Benzothiadiazole-containing donor–acceptor–acceptor dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells

A series of organic dyes with a donor–acceptor–acceptor (D–A–A) configuration, in which various diarylthienylamine donors and a cyanoacrylic acid acceptor are bridged by a low-band-gap 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole acceptor, have been synthesized, characterized, and employed as photosensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The adoption of 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole as the bridging acceptor endowed these tailor-made dyes with superior light-harvesting capabilities in comparison to their previously reported pyrimidine-based analogs. After fine-tuning the fabrication conditions, DSSCs based on these dyes showed solar spectral responses extending to the near-IR region and achieved power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of up to 3.16% (OHexDPTB) under simulated AM 1.5G irradiation (100 mW cm^?2).     

Synthesis and characterization of push–pull organic semiconductors with various acceptors for solution-processed small molecule organic solar cells

New efficient push–pull organic semiconductors comprising of the bis(9,9-dimethyl-9H-fluoren-2-yl)aniline (bisDMFA) donor and the various acceptors such as NO₂, DCBP, and TCF, which were linked with bithiophene or vinyl bithiophene π-conjugation bridges, were synthesized, and their photovoltaic characteristics were investigated in solution-processed small molecule organic solar cells (SMOSCs). The intramolecular charge transfers of these materials were effectively appeared in between bisDMFA donor and acceptors, depending on the electron-withdrawing strength of acceptors. The organic semiconductors having NO₂ and DCBP acceptors exhibited the most efficient photovoltaic performance, showing power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 1.98% (±0.17) and 2.01% (±0.21), respectively. When the TiO_x thin layer was treated on photoactive layer, the organic semiconductor having NO₂ showed the best PCE of 2.70% with short circuit current of 8.19 mA/cm², fill factor of 0.40, and open circuit voltage of 0.83 V in SMOSC devices.     

Synthesis and characterization of a novel main chain oxadiazole-based copolymer for n-type solar cell material

A novel oxadiazole-based copolymer has been successfully synthesized through the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling polycondensation method.The copolymer P is soluble in common organic solvents.Its structure has characterized by ~1H NMR,~(13)C NMR,gel permeation chromatagraphy (GPC),UV-vis absorbance (Abs) and photoluniminescence (PL) spectroscopy,and cyclic voltammetry (CV).Investigation of its optical properties revealed that it is yellow emitting material,and the electrochemical analysis showed that P was well suited poly (2,5-dioctyloxy-p-phenylenevinylene) (PDOCPV) for photovoltaic devices,so the copolymer P is able to act as an electron acceptor in combination with PDOCPV as the electron donor to quench photoluminescence of the copolymer in the blend,indicative of the efficient photoinduced electron transfer from the PDOCPV to the P.     

Hyperbranched conjugated polymers with donor-π-acceptor architecture as organic sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells

Three novel hyperbranched conjugated polymers (H-tpa, H-cya, and H-pca) with the same conjugated core structure and different functional terminal units were synthesized and applied in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) as photosensitizers. The photophysical, electrochemical and photovoltaic properties of the three hyperbranched conjugated polymers (HBPs) were investigated in detail. The results showed that donor-π-acceptor architecture in hyperbranched molecule benefited intramolecular charge transfer and consequently increased the generation of photocurrent. The three-dimensional (3D) steric configuration of HBPs could effectively suppress the aggregation of dyes on TiO₂ film, which is beneficial for achieving good photovoltaic performances. Among the three hyperbranched dyes, the highest power conversion efficiency (η) of 3.93% (J_sc = 8.78 mA/cm², V_oc = 0.65 V, FF = 0.688) was obtained with a DSSC based on H-pca dye upon the addition of the same mass ratio chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) as coadsorbent under AM 1.5 irradiation with 100 mW/cm² simulated sunlight.     

Conjugated polymers based on new thienylene – PPV derivatives for solar cell applications

Two π-conjugated monomers based on bis-(1-cyano-2-thienyl-vinylene)phenylene derivatives were synthesized by Knoevenagel condensation. Both monomers are found to form electroactive polymers upon electrochemical oxidation. The withdrawing effect due to the cyano-substituent allows for the reversible n-doping of the polymer. Thus, the band gap E_g was measured using electrochemical techniques and compared with that obtained by UV–VIS–NIR spectroscopy. Based on the measured band gap of 1.87 and 1.58 eV, these polymers appear to be interesting candidates for solar-cell applications.     

Pleated polymeric foldamers driven by donor–acceptor interaction and conjugated radical cation dimerization

Two naphthalene(NP) and bipyridinium(BIPY~(2+)) alternately incorporated polymers P1 and P2 have been prepared through the formation of dynamic hydrazone bonds. The polymers formed NP–BIPY~(2+)donor–acceptor interaction-induced pleated secondary structure. Upon reducing the BIPY~(2+)units to radical cation BIPY+, intramolecular dimerization of the BIPY+units induced the backbones to afford another pleated secondary structure. Adding electron-rich macrocyclic polyether bis-1,5-dinaphtho[38]crown-10 or electron-deficient cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) cyclophane did not break the first foldamer by complexing the BIPY2+or NP units of the polymers, whereas the di(radical cationic)ring of the second cyclophane could break the second foldamer by forming threading complexes with the BIPY+units of the polymers.     

Synthesis and characterization of a bis-methanofullerene-4-nitro-α-cyanostilbene dyad as a potential acceptor for high-performance polymer solar cells

We report the synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical properties of bis-PCBM dyad containing 4-nitro-α-cyanostilbene units for potential usage in efficient organic solar cells. The bis-PCBM dyad is fully characterized by NMR, UV–vis absorption, and electrochemical cyclic voltammetry. It is found that the presence of 4-nitro-α-cyanostilbenes affects the cyclic voltammetry and absorption spectrum very little. Whereas the 56 π-electron system in the bis-functionalized fullerene cage significantly influences on the electrochemical and photophysical properties, resulting in up-shifted LUMO and wider absorption compared to PCBM. Although the efficiencies of both conventional and the inverted cells based on P3HT/bis-PCBM dyad as the preliminary results are low in comparison with the optimized high-performance PSCs, it is believed that the efficiency would be improved through successful device optimization of P3HT/bis-PCBM dyad cells.     

Investigating the effect of π-configurations and methoxy substitution on donor and π- spacers based dyes for dye-sensitized solar cell applications–computational approach

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Triphenylamine and methoxy substituted triphenylamine-based dyes are examined by density-functional theory and time-dependent density-functional theory. The...     

Synthesis and properties of π-conjugated donor–acceptor macrocycles derived from phenanthrylene building blocks

Phenanthrylene-ethynylidene macrocycles combining electron donor and electron acceptor subunits in their shape-persistent fully conjugated core were synthesized. The donor subunits consisted of two 9,10-dialkoxyphenanthrenes linked either with 1,2-ethynylidene or 2,5-thienylene bridge. The acceptors were 9,10-phenanthroquinone and dibenzoquinoxaline and dibenzophenazines derived from it. Solvatochromic photoluminescence from intramolecular-charge-transfer (ICT) excited state was observed mainly in non-polar solvents. In more polar solvents, the excited states favor non-radiative relaxation. DFT calculated HOMO/LUMO energies of the macrocycles correlate well with spectroscopic and electrochemical data. In the series of substituted dibenzophenazine acceptors a good correlation with Hammett substituent constants σ_p^– was found.     

Synthesis and characterization of porphyrin-terthiophene and oligothiophene π-conjugated copolymers for polymer solar cells

Two novel conjugated polymers with alternating main chain structures of zinc porphyrin-terthiophene (P-PTT) and zinc porphyrin-oligothiophene (P-POT) were synthesized by Stille reaction. The effect of different lengths of thiophene chains on the thermal, optical, electrochemical, and photovoltaic properties of the two copolymers were investigated in detail. P-PTT exhibited higher onset decomposition temperature (392 °C) and glass-transition temperature (152 °C) than those of P-POT. The introduction of thiophene units in the meso-aryl positions of porphyrin resulted in the red shift and broader absorption spectrum compared with zinc porphyrin (P_Zn) monomer both in chloroform solutions and on thin solid films. The electrochemical properties indicated that the energy levels of the polymers were suitable for efficient charge transfer and separation at the interface between the polymer donor and PCBM acceptor. The bulk heterojunction solar cells based on P-PTT and P-POT showed power conversion efficiencies up to 0.32% and 0.18%, respectively.     

Heteroatom substitution-induced asymmetric A–D–A type non-fullerene acceptor for efficient organic solar cells

Research on asymmetric A–D–A structured non-fullerene acceptors has lagged far behind the development of symmetric counterpart. In this contribution, by simply replacing one sulfur atom in indacenodithiophene unit with a selenium atom, an asymmetric building block Se PT and a corresponding asymmetric non-fullerene acceptor Se PT-IN have been developed. Asymmetric Se PT-IN achieved a high efficiency of 10.20% in organic solar cells when blended with PBT1-C, much higher than that of symmetric TPT-IN counterpart(8.91%). Our results demonstrated an effective heteroatom substitution strategy to develop asymmetric A–D–A structured non-fullerene acceptors.     

Thieno[2,3-a]carbazole-based donor–π–acceptor organic dyes for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

New donor–π–acceptor organic dyes K-1 and K-2 containing thieno[2,3-a]carbazole as an electron donor were designed and synthesized for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Photophysical and electrochemical properties of K-dyes were investigated. DSCs based on K-dyes showed a high conversion efficiency of 6.6–6.7% with a J_sc of 12.40–12.49 mA cm⁻² and a V_oc of 0.70–0.71 V. The molecular geometry calculation indicated that the existence of thienocarbazole donor in K-dyes enhanced the molecular planarity compared to the carbazole analogue dye MK-3. As a result, DSCs based on K-dyes showed high IPCEs, perhaps due to efficient intramolecular charge transfer and electron injection from excited dye to TiO₂ conduction band.     

Synthesis of modified β-cyclodextrin polymers and characterization of their fuchsin adsorption

Three water insoluble β-cyclodextrin polymers HP-β-CDP, CM-β-CDP and AE-β-CDP were synthesized by cross-linking epoxychloropropane with corresponding β-CD derivatives and utilized to adsorb water-soluble dye fuchsin from aqueous solution. FT-IR spectra confirmed the existence of hydroxypropyl, carboxyl group and amidogen in polymers. The influences of several parameters (contact time, pH and temperature) and the degree of substitution (DS) of CM-β-CDP in range of 1.5–4.5 on the adsorption capacity (Q _e) were evaluated. The results showed that all maximum Q _e of polymers appeared at pH 5.2–5.3. CM-β-CDP with carboxyl group was the most effective extractant, and the Q _e of CM-β-CDP with DS 1.5–2.5 kept nearly constant but decreased sharply over 2.5. However, AE-β-CDP with amidogen had displayed a quite low Q _e to fuchsin, even lower than that of unmodified β-CD polymer. The preliminary studies on the morphology of both CM-β-CDP and AE-β-CDP by AFM disclosed the differences in topography of their surfaces.     

Synthesis and characterization of a novel organic–inorganic hybrid supramolecular recognition material and its selective adsorption for cesium

To separate Cs(I) from highly active liquid waste, a macroporous silica-based 25, 27-bis(iso-propyloxy)calix[4]arene-26,28-crown-6 (BiPCalix[4]C6) supramolecular recognition material, BiPCalix[4]C6/SiO₂–P, was synthesized and characterized by SEM, FT-IR, and TG-DSC. The adsorption properties of BiPCalix[4]C6/SiO₂–P and a macroporous polymer-based supramolecular recognition composite, BiPCalix[4]C6/XAD-7, were compared. It was found that BiPCalix[4]C6/SiO₂–P exhibited better adsorption ability and faster adsorption dynamics than BiPCalix[4]C6/XAD-7. The adsorption isotherm of Cs(I) onto BiPCalix[4]C6/SiO₂–P was studied at 298 K and it was well described by Langmuir isotherm model. The complex composition between BiPCalix[4]C6/SiO₂–P and Cs(I) was determined as 1:1 type by investigating the effect of the concentrations of BiPCalix[4]C6, Cs(I), and H⁺ on the adsorption. Meanwhile, the selectivity of BiPCalix[4]C6/SiO₂–P towards Na(I), K(I), Rb(I), Cs(I), Sr(II), Ba(II), Ru(III), Mo(VI), La(III), and Y(III) was investigated.     

Synthesis and characterization of mesoporous Mn–Ni oxides for supercapacitors

Mesoporous Mn–Ni oxides with the chemical compositions of Mn_1-x Ni _x O _δ (x = 0, 0.2, and 0.4) were prepared by a solid-state reaction route, using manganese sulfate, nickel chloride, and potassium hydroxide as starting materials. The obtained Mn–Ni oxides, mainly consisting of the phases of α- and γ-MnO₂, presented irregular mesoporous agglomerates built from ultra-fine particles. Specific surface area of Mn_1–x Ni _x O _δ was 42.8, 59.6, and 84.5 m² g⁻¹ for x = 0, 0.2, and 0.4, respectively. Electrochemical properties were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge in 6 mol L⁻¹ KOH electrolyte. Specific capacitances of Mn_1-x Ni _x O _δ were 343, 528, and 411 F g⁻¹ at a scan rate of 2 mV s⁻¹ for x = 0, 0.2, and 0.4, respectively, and decreased to 157, 183, and 130 F g⁻¹ with increasing scan rate to 100 mV s⁻¹, respectively. After 500 cycles at a current density of 1.24 A g⁻¹, the symmetrical Mn_1–x Ni _x O _δ capacitors delivered specific capacitances of 160, 250, and 132 F g⁻¹ for x = 0, 0.2, and 0.4, respectively, retaining about 82%, 89%, and 75% of their respective initial capacitances. The Mn_0.8Ni_0.2O _δ material showed better supercapacitive performance, which was promising for supercapacitor applications.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel low band-gap polymers containing squaraine units

Novel conjugated polymers based on squaric acid having 2,5-Bis[(E)-N-alkylpyrrol-2-ylvinyl]-3-alkylthiophene(PVTVP) unit in the main chain were successfully synthesized in good yields through polycondensation reaction.Their molecular structures were characterized by FT-IR and ~1H NMR.They have good solubility in common organic solvents,good thermal stability by thermal gravimetric analysis and high molecular weights.Their optical properties were investigated by UV-vis absorption spectra in CH_2Cl_2 solution,the results indicated all these compounds showed broad and strong spectral responses from 200nm to 900nm, suggesting their potential for application as organic plastic solar cells.