Electroless silver plating of the surface of organic semiconductors

The integration of nanoscale processes and devices demands fabrication routes involving rapid, cost-effective steps, preferably carried out under ambient conditions. The realization of the metal/organic semiconductor interface is one of the most demanding steps of device fabrication, since it requires mechanical and/or thermal treatments which increment costs and are often harmful in respect to the active layer. Here, we provide a microscopic analysis of a room temperature, electroless process aimed at the deposition of a nanostructured metallic silver layer with controlled coverage atop the surface of single crystals and thin films of organic semiconductors. This process relies on the reaction of aqueous AgF solutions with the nonwettable crystalline surface of donor-type organic semiconductors. It is observed that the formation of a uniform layer of silver nanoparticles can be accomplished within 20 min contact time. The electrical characterization of two-terminal devices performed before and after the aforementioned treatment shows that the metal deposition process is associated with a redox reaction causing the p-doping of the semiconductor.     

Patterned growth of large oriented organic semiconductor single crystals on self-assembled monolayer templates

This work demonstrates a method for inducing site-specific nucleation and subsequent growth of large oriented organic semiconductor single crystals using micropatterned self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). We demonstrate growth of oriented, patterned, and large organic semiconductor single crystals for potential use in organic electronic devices. The control over multiple parameters in a single system has not yet been reported. The ability to control various aspects of crystal growth in one system provides a powerful technique for the bottom-up fabrication of organic single-crystal semiconductor devices.     

X‐ray Crystallography in Open‐Framework Materials

Open‐framework materials, such as metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and coordination polymers have been widely investigated for their gas adsorption and separation properties. However, recent studies have demonstrated that their highly crystalline structures can be used to periodically organize guest molecules and non‐structural metal compounds either within their pore voids or by anchoring to their framework architecture. Accordingly, the open framework can act as a matrix for isolating and elucidating the structures of these moieties by X‐ray diffraction. This concept has broad scope for development as an analytical tool where obtaining single crystals of a target molecule presents a significant challenge and it additionally offers potential for obtaining insights into chemically reactive species that can be stabilized within the pore network. However, the technique does have limitations and as yet a general experimental method has not been realized. Herein we focus on recent examples in which framework materials have been utilized as a scaffold for ordering molecules for analysis by diffraction methods and canvass areas for future exploration.     

Fast identification of rubrene polymorphs by lattice phonon Raman microscopy

Confocal Raman microscopy in the lattice phonon region has been used to study the polymorphism of the organic semiconductor 5,6,11,12-tetraphenyl-tetracene (rubrene). Following literature guidelines, crystals of rubrene have been prepared using a number of solution growth and vapour deposition methods, obtaining samples of different morphologies which could be related to the various polymorphs of this compound. The technique has enabled us an easy and non invasive identification of the three known polymorphs and of their phase homogeneity with a lateral spatial resolution below 1 μm.     

一维有机半导体(BEDT-TTF)~2HgCl~3·TCE与二维有 机超导体β-(BEDT－TTF) ~2I~3

用电化学结晶方法合成出一种新的导电分子晶体(BEDT-TTF)~2HgCl~3·TCE,[(BEDT-TTF)=双亚乙基二硫四硫富瓦烯,TCE=1,1,2-三氯乙烷]。用四圆X衍射方法确定了它的晶体结构,测得(BEDT-TTF)~2HgCl~3·TCE单晶在bc平面的ln(R/R~0)与T^-^1呈线性关系。(BEDT-TTF)~2HgCl~3·TCE晶体中,(BEDT-TTF)^+^0^.^5阳离子自由基沿b方向等距并肩排列,由S…S分子间相互作用维系,形成一维导电结构;阴离子(HgCl~3)^-也沿b方向形成一维聚合体(HgCl~3)~n^n^-,因而(BEDT-TTF)~2HgCl~3·TCE属一维半导体。为了研究导电分子晶体的导电性与结构的关系,制备了有机超导体β-(BEDT－TTF)~2I~3,讨论了β-(BEDT－TTF)~2I~3的导电性优于(BEDT-TTF)~2HgCl~3·TCE的结构原因。     

Transitions in Solvate Crystals of a Tetraaryladamantane

Obtaining high-resolution structures of liquid compounds can be difficult. Encapsulating them in the lattice of a larger organic molecule acting as crystallization chaperone is one option to overcome this difficulty. Tetraaryladamantane ethers can play the role of chaperones, accommodating a range of different guest molecules in their crystals. How well-ordered crystalline arrangements for molecules of different shape are achieved is not clear. Cases in which more than one structure is found may shed light on this phenomenon. Here, we report low-order cubic crystal structures of 1,3,5,7-tetrakis(2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)adamantane (TDA) encapsulating ortho-xylene or cyclohexane, together with better ordered structures obtained after warming the crystals to 60 °C. Evidence for cubic crystal systems was also found for limonene, hexachlorobutadiene and eucalyptol, with a transition to a triclinic system for the former two, but no transition up to 70 °C for the latter. These findings indicate that some solvate structures of TDA can readily undergo structural transitions to less solvated, better ordered systems. Crystals obtained by rapid thermal crystallization may be in kinetically trapped states, and the transition to a solvate-free crystal system appears to have a kinetic barrier that depends strongly on the structure of the liquid guest molecules encapsulated in the lattice.     

High-mobility field-effect transistors from large-area solution-grown aligned C60 single crystals

Field-effect transistors based on single crystals of organic semiconductors have the highest reported charge carrier mobility among organic materials, demonstrating great potential of organic semiconductors for electronic applications. However, single-crystal devices are difficult to fabricate. One of the biggest challenges is to prepare dense arrays of single crystals over large-area substrates with controlled alignment. Here, we describe a solution processing method to grow large arrays of aligned C(60) single crystals. Our well-aligned C(60) single-crystal needles and ribbons show electron mobility as high as 11 cm(2)V(-1)s(-1) (average mobility: 5.2 ± 2.1 cm(2)V(-1)s(-1) from needles; 3.0 ± 0.87 cm(2)V(-1)s(-1) from ribbons). This observed mobility is ~8-fold higher than the maximum reported mobility for solution-grown n-channel organic materials (1.5 cm(2)V(-1)s(-1)) and is ~2-fold higher than the highest mobility of any n-channel organic material (~6 cm(2)V(-1)s(-1)). Furthermore, our deposition method is scalable to a 100 mm wafer substrate, with around 50% of the wafer surface covered by aligned crystals. Hence, our method facilitates the fabrication of large amounts of high-quality semiconductor crystals for fundamental studies, and with substantial improvement on the surface coverage of crystals, this method might be suitable for large-area applications based on single crystals of organic semiconductors.     

High mobility of dithiophene-tetrathiafulvalene single-crystal organic field effect transistors

Single-crystal field effect transistors of the organic semiconductor dithiophene-tetrathiafulvalene (DT-TTF) were prepared by drop casting. Long, thin crystals connected two microfabricated gold electrodes, and a silicon substrate was used as a back gate. The highest hole mobility observed was 1.4 cm2/Vs, which is the highest reported for an organic semiconductor not based on pentacene. A high ON/OFF ratio of at least 7 x 105 was obtained for this device.     

Are intermediate electronic states responsible for pyroelectric luminescence?

Patel and Hanson have observed discrete spectrum-like spontaneous luminescence of, and simultaneous current flow through, certain organic and ionic crystals when they were either cooled or heated at a constant rate. The hypothetical intermediate electronic states (neither bulk nor localized-type) are thought to be responsible for this effect. By the “turning over process”, these states can transport a definite quantity of electric charge through the crystal for special discrete (size, shape, surface contamination, temperature and pressure dependent) boundary conditions, even if the crystal is a semiconductor or insulator.     

Engineered growth of organic crystalline films using liquid crystal solvents

Thin films of organic molecular crystals have drawn widespread attention for their scientifically interesting and potentially useful electronic, photonic, and chemical properties. However, because their properties are extremely sensitive to structural imperfections, domain size, and crystallographic orientation, preparation of high-quality thin films with controlled microstructural organization under technologically favorable conditions has long been a bottleneck toward practical applications and better controlled fundamental studies. Here a technique is introduced combining atmospheric pressure vapor-phase deposition with solution-phase growth in a thin layer of thermotropic liquid crystal solvent. The method produces relatively large crystals, enables control over crystallographic orientation and growth habit, and involves mild processing conditions compatible with a variety of substrates and organic materials. Results are presented for the organic semiconductor tetracene, along with a discussion of film growth and alignment mechanisms.     

A microchip to analyze single crystal growth and size-controllability

A microfluidic device to control single crystallization on the micron scale has been developed. The salt solution was stored in the nano-volume gaps between the arrays of protrudent circular plots in the microchip. The mixed organic solvent was injected into the chip as the counter diffusion phase for crystallization forming. This device provides a liquid-liquid interface through which only one phase flows while the other stays at the fixed plot. Therefore, it is possible to control the position of crystallization on the fixed plot. We can control the size and the uniformity of single crystals from 5 to 50 μm in length by adjusting the relative factors, such as interface lifetime, breeds of the mix-organic solvents and injecting velocities. The longer interface lifetime and lower organic solvent injecting velocities can bring up larger and more asymmetric crystals, which nearly shows the same trend compared with the macroscopic crystallization. Finally, the effect of the surfactant on the crystallization in the micro-device was studied. By adding the surfactant into the liquid-liquid interface, smaller sizes of crystals can be obtained without changing the crystal configuration. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 20775042) and the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB714507)     

Fluorescence Analysis in Microarray Technology

Fluorescence has been the preferred choice for data quantification in biomedical microarray formats since their earliest days. As much as the formats have grown and evolved over the years, the methods in optical analysis have become ever more sophisticated and complex in order to produce more and better output. This review will provide an insight into the most common methods and the state-of-the-art of all areas in microarray fluorescence analysis. Starting with an overview on microarray formats with a focus on their demands on the readout, the most common and useful organic fluorescent stains are discussed before proceeding on to other approaches; the use of semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots), polymer and silica nanoparticles and fluorescent proteins. Ways to enhance the intrinsically low signal on biochips have become increasingly important as they offer a sound approach towards the detection of low concentration sample content. The three main categories are presented: amplification using DNA, enzymes, and dendrimers. As much diversity as on the microarrays themselves can be found at the detection device. Standard optical microarray detectors, and non-standard methods using fluorescence anisotropy, fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed.     

Organic Crystal Rings Formed in Template Polymer Pores by Evaporation of Solvent

Summary: The fabrication of organic crystals into useful forms might play an important role in future electronics technology. A method for fabricating organic crystal rings has been developed. The self‐assembly of six‐armed poly(methyl methacrylate) with a triphenylene core leads to the formation of pores homogeneously distributed in the polymer film. Because the solubility of this polymer in tetrahydrofuran (THF) is lower than that of 2,3,6,7,10,11‐hexamethacrylate triphenylene (HMTP), the holes initially formed and distributed in the polymer film are filled with a THF solution of HMTP. Crystallization nucleation occurs at the edge of holes and HMPT crystals grow at the contact line to form organic crystal rings.

Schematic illustration of crystal‐ring formation.     

Organic soft crystals exhibiting spontaneously reversible mechano-responsive luminescence

Mechano-responsive luminescence, or mechanochromic luminescence (MCL), is a type of luminescence that can be reversibly controlled by the addition of mechanical stimuli. Organic materials exhibiting MCL have been an ongoing area of development since the early 2000s, and the number of reports into such materials has been steadily increasing. While the majority of MCL systems rely on the brittle nature of organic crystalline solids, there is a growing interest in "flexible" organic crystals that exhibit mechanical bending or shape deformation owing to their elasticity/plasticity. Such non-destructive deformed crystals may exhibit a new type of MCL that can be controlled by the magnitude of the force stress. In this review, we describe MCL systems capable of the spontaneous recovery of changes in their luminescent properties in response to the loading/unloading of mechanical stress. We particularly focus on the MCL of flexible crystals based on the density gradient of molecular packing (i.e., elastic and plastic crystals) and an emerging system known as "superelastochromism,” which is based on spontaneously reversible crystal polymorphism. This emerging research area has the potential to play an important role in the promotion of next-generation soft crystals.     

Chemical Functionalisation and Photoluminescence of Graphene Quantum Dots

Chemical modification of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) can influence their physical and chemical properties; hence, the investigation of the effect of organic functional groups on GQDs is of importance for developing GQD–organic hybrid materials. Three peripherally functionalised GQDs having a third‐generation dendritic wedge (GQD‐ 2 ), long alkyl chains (GQD‐ 3 ) and a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane group (GQD‐ 4 ) were prepared by the Cu^I‐catalysed Huisgen cycloaddition reaction of GQD‐ 1 with organic azides. Cyclic voltammetry indicated that reduction occurred on the surfaces of GQD‐ 1 – 4 and on the five‐membered imide rings at the periphery, and this suggested that the functional groups distort the periphery by steric interactions between neighbouring functional groups. The HOMO–LUMO bandgaps of GQD‐ 1 – 4 were estimated to be approximately 2 eV, and their low‐lying LUMO levels (<?3.9 eV) were lower than that of phenyl‐C₆₁‐butyric acid methyl ester, an n‐type organic semiconductor. The solubility of GQD‐ 1 – 4 in organic solvents depends on the functional groups present. The functional groups likely cover the surfaces and periphery of the GQDs, and thus increase their affinity for solvent and avoid precipitation. Similar to GQD‐ 2 , both GQD‐ 3 and GQD‐ 4 emitted white light upon excitation at 360 nm. Size‐exclusion chromatography demonstrated that white‐light emission originates from the coexistence of differently sized GQDs that have different photoluminescence emission wavelengths.     

Rosette‐Shaped Calcite Structures at Surfaces: Mechanistic Implications for CaCO3 Crystallization

Biomineralization is believed to be achieved by the intimate cooperation of soluble macromolecules and an insoluble matrix at the specific inorganic–organic interface. It has been reported that positively charged matrices play an important role in controlling the structure of CaCO₃ at surfaces, although detailed mechanisms remain unclear. In this work, we studied the transformation from amorphous CaCO₃ to calcite crystals on surfaces by using thin films of poly(2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) and its quaternized form. The positively charged PDMAEMA film was found to possess unique properties for CaCO₃ crystallization: individually separated, single calcite crystals were formed on the PDMAEMA film in the absence of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), while circularly fused calcite crystals were formed in the presence of PAA. The circularly fused (rosette‐shaped) calcite crystals could be changed from a completely packed rosette to a ring‐shaped, hollow structure by tuning the crystallization conditions. A number of factors, such as reaction time, amount of (NH₄)₂CO₃, concentration of PAA, and charge of matrix‐films, were varied systematically, and we now propose a mechanism based on these observations.     

Benzodicarbomethoxytetrathiafulvalene derivatives as soluble organic semiconductors

A series of new tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) derivatives bearing dimethoxycarbonyl and phenyl or phthalimidyl groups fused to the TTF core (6 and 15-18) has been synthesized as potential soluble semiconductor materials for organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). The electron-withdrawing substituents lower the energy of the HOMO and LUMO levels and increase the solubility and stability of the semiconducting material. Crystal structures of all new TTF derivatives are also described, and theoretical DFT calculations were carried out to study the potential of the crystals to be used in OFET. In the experimental study, the best performing device exhibited a hole mobility up to 7.5 × 10(-3) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1)).     

Synthesis and characterization of sulfonated polymethylsiloxane polymer as template for crystal growth of CaCO3

The objective of this work was to synthesize a sulfonated polymethylsiloxane (S-PMS) by hydrosilylation and sulfonation reactions and to investigate their effect on the growth of CaCO₃ crystals using a gas diffusion method as a function of concentration, pH, and time. The result of IR and NMR shows good agreement with all proposed structures. Scanning electron microscopy images of CaCO₃ showed small well-defined calcite-forming short piles (ca 5 μm) and elongated calcite (ca 20 μm) crystals. The morphology of the resultant CaCO₃ crystals reflects the electrostatic interaction of sulfonate moieties and Ca²⁺ modulated by S-PMS adsorbed onto the CaCO₃ surface. X-ray diffraction confirmed the crystalline calcite polymorph. Energy dispersive spectroscopy of CaCO₃ crystals determined the presence of Si atoms from S-PMS. The use of PMS chemistry as an organic additive for the production of CaCO₃ particles is a viable approach for studying the biomineralization and could be useful for the design of novel materials with desirable shape and properties.