Organic electronic devices and their functional interfaces.

A most appealing feature of the development of (opto)electronic devices based on conjugated organic materials is the highly visible link between fundamental research and technological advances. Improved understanding of organic material properties can often instantly be implemented in novel device architectures, which results in rapid progress in the performance and functionality of devices. An essential ingredient for this success is the strong interdisciplinary nature of the field of organic electronics, which brings together experts in chemistry, physics, and engineering, thus softening or even removing traditional boundaries between the disciplines. Naturally, a thorough comprehension of all properties of organic insulators, semiconductors, and conductors is the goal of current efforts. Furthermore, interfaces between dissimilar materials-organic/organic and organic/inorganic-are inherent in organic electronic devices. It has been recognized that these interfaces are a key for device function and efficiency, and detailed investigations of interface physics and chemistry are at the focus of research. Ultimately, a comprehensive understanding of phenomena at interfaces with organic materials will improve the rational design of highly functional organic electronic devices.     

Molecular and nanoscale materials and devices in electronics

Over the past several years, there have been many significant advances toward the realization of electronic computers integrated on the molecular scale and a much greater understanding of the types of materials that will be useful in molecular devices and their properties. It was demonstrated that individual molecules could serve as incomprehensibly tiny switch and wire one million times smaller than those on conventional silicon microchip. This has resulted very recently in the assembly and demonstration of tiny computer logic circuits built from such molecular scale devices. The purpose of this review is to provide a general introduction to molecular and nanoscale materials and devices in electronics.     

Organic electroluminescent and nonlinear optical materials

The multilayer electroluminescent(EL) devices composed of vacuum-sublimed organic films are discussed with the aims of achieving high luminance and proposing an optical micro-cavity. For the former purpose, requirements for confinements of carriers and excitons within the thin emissive layer are shown by taking accounts of ionization potentials, electron affinities and excitation energies in organic thin films. Concerning the interference effect of emitted light, we show the variation in the intensity of emission and a strongly directional light from the micro-cavity. Second-order nonlinear optical(NLO) films are designed by preparing noncentrosymmetric LB multilayers composed of an pyrazine derivative with large hyperpolarizability and arachidic acid. Third-order nonlinear optical(NLO) films are proposed by using polyarylenevinylene films. In order to fabricate excellent third-order nonlinear optical(NLO) films, highly oriented polyarylenevinylene films are prepared by using a LB technique.     

Dye-modified nanochannel materials for photoelectronic and optical devices

Artificial photonic antenna systems have been realised by incorporating organic dyes into zeolite L. The size and aspect ratio of the cylindrically shaped zeolite crystals can be tuned over a wide range, adding to the versatility of this host material. A 600 nm sized crystal, for example, consists of about 96 000 one-dimensional channels oriented parallel to the cylinder axis. Geometrical constraints imposed by the host structure lead to supramolecular organisation of the guests, allowing high concentrations of non- or only very weakly interacting dye molecules. A special twist is added to these systems by plugging the channel openings with a second type of fluorescent dye, a so-called stopcock molecule. The two types of molecules are precisely tuned to each other; the stopcocks are able to accept excitation energy from the dyes in the channels, but cannot pass it back. The supramolecular organisation of dyes in the zeolite channels corresponds to a first stage of organisation, allowing light-harvesting within the volume of a cylindrical crystal and radiationless energy transport to either the cylinder ends or centre. The second stage of organisation represents the coupling to an external acceptor or donor stopcock fluorophore at the channel entrances, which can then trap or inject electronic excitation energy. The third stage of organisation is realised by interfacing the material to an external device through a stopcock intermediate. We observed that electronic-excitation-energy transfer in dye-zeolite L materials occurs mainly along the channel axis and we have shown that macroscopically organised materials can be prepared. The new materials offer unique possibilities as building blocks for optical, electro-optical and sensing devices.     

聚合物光伏材料与器件研究进展

高效率的聚合物太阳电池依赖于光吸收活性层材料对太阳光能量的充分利用．电极界面材料将光吸收活性层产生的空穴和电子分别快速高效地抽取到阳极和阴极,并通过进一步改进光伏器件的结构提升能量转换效率和稳定性．本课题组在光吸收活性层中新型聚合物给体材料、新型电极界面材料、利用水／醇性电极界面材料制作新型倒装器件结构的太阳电池方面取得重要进展,推动了太阳电池在能量转换效率和稳定性方面的突破．     

Viruses as building blocks for materials and devices

From the viewpoint of a materials scientist, viruses can be regarded as organic nanoparticles. They are composed of a small number of different (bio)polymers: proteins and nucleic acids. Many viruses are enveloped in a lipid membrane and all viruses do not have a metabolism of their own, but rather use the metabolic machinery of a living cell for their replication. Their surface carries specific tools designed to cross the barriers of their host cells. The size and shape of viruses, and the number and nature of the functional groups on their surface, is precisely defined. As such, viruses are commonly used in materials science as scaffolds for covalently linked surface modifications. A particular quality of viruses is that they can be tailored by directed evolution by taking advantage of their inbuilt colocalization of geno- and phenotypes. The powerful techniques developed by life sciences are becoming the basis of engineering approaches towards nanomaterials, opening a wide range of applications far beyond biology and medicine.     

Organic photovoltaic materials and thin-film solar cells

Organic photovoltaic materials are of interest for their future applications in solar cells. Compared to inorganic or dye-sensitized solar cells, organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells offer a huge potential for low-cost large-area solar cells because of their low material consumption per area and easy processing. In the last few years, there have seen an unprecedented growth of interest in OPVs with power conversion efficiency of over 5% attainable. However, OPV’s performance is limited by the narrow light absorption, poor charge carries mobility, and low stability of organic materials, all of which confine its large-scale commercial applications. This review will develop a discussion on the OPV device configuration and operational mechanism after an introduction of the general features of OPV materials. Subsequently, the typical progresses in materials development and performance evolution in recent years will be summarized. The future challenges and prospects faced by organic photovoltaics will be discussed. Finally, the innovative strategy on research of molecular design and device optimization will be suggested with the aim for practical application.     

Photonic materials for electroluminescent,laser and photovoltaic devices

This article presents an overview of the work that has been done recently in our laboratory concerning the development and application of new conjugated materials with tunable properties. We have designed polymers containing oligo(phenylenevinylene)-type conjugated segments of well defined size and structure isolated either in their main-chain or in the side-chains. Model oligomers corresponding to the conjugated parts of the polymers have also been studied. We show how these materials perform in light-emission applications (light-emitting diodes, lasers) or photovoltaic cells.     

Conducting polymers in redox devices and intelligent materials systems

Applications opportunities are described for conducting polymer devices, including (1) batteries and redox capacitors, (2) electromechanical actuators, (3) electrochromic windows and displays, (4) chemical separation and chemical delivery systems, and (5) indicators and sensors. Each of these potential application areas depends upon the dramatic property changes which occur during chemical or electrochemical doping. Since the properties profiles of conducting polymers can be reversibly changed either chemically or electrochemically, these polymers also provide exciting candidates for intelligent materials systems - where sensor, logic element, and actuator functions can be either partially or fully integrated. Results of device and properties investigations are used to evaluate future possibilities for conducting polymers in intelligent material systems.     

Organic electroluminescence devices based on anthracene sulfide derivatives

A series of anthracene derivatives are synthesized and fabricated as light-emitting materials in OLED devices. The incorporation of the chalcogen atoms, either oxygen or sulfur, in between the anthracene moiety and the alkyl or aryl substituents affected drastically the photo- and electroluminescence properties of the materials, especially the HOMO-LUMO band gap and the emitting color of the devices. The new anthracene sulfide derivatives represent a new design for further modification of other light-emitting doped materials.     

Polyoxometalate clusters, nanostructures and materials: from self assembly to designer materials and devices

Polyoxometalates represent a diverse range of molecular clusters with an almost unmatched range of physical properties and the ability to form structures that can bridge several length scales. The new building block principles that have been discovered are beginning to allow the design of complex clusters with desired properties and structures and several structural types and novel physical properties are examined. In this critical review the synthetic and design approaches to the many polyoxometalate cluster types are presented encompassing all the sub-types of polyoxometalates including, isopolyoxometalates, heteropolyoxometalates, and reduced molybdenum blue systems. As well as the fundamental structure and bonding aspects, the final section is devoted to discussing these clusters in the context of contemporary and emerging interdisciplinary interests from areas as diverse as anti-viral agents, biological ion transport models, and materials science.     

Organic thin-film solar cells: Devices and materials

In recent years, the performance of organic thin-film solar cells has gained rapid progress, of which the power conversion efficiencies (ηp) of 3%-5% are commonly achieved, which were difficult to obtain years ago and are improving steadily now. The ηp of 7.4% was achieved in the year 2010, and ηp of 9.2% was disclosed and confirmed at website of Mitsubishi Chemical in April, 2011. The promising future is that the ηp of 10% is achievable according to simulation results. Apparently, these are attributed to material innovations, new device structures, and also the better understanding of device physics. This article summarizes recent progress in organic thin-film solar cells related to materials, device structures and working principles. In the device functioning part, after each brief summary of the working principle, the methods for improvements, such as absorption increment, organic/electrode interface engineering, morphological issues, are addressed and summarized accordingly. In addition, for the purpose of increasing exciton diffusion efficiency, the benefit from triplet exciton, which has been proposed in recent years, is highlighted. In the active material parts, the chemical nature of materials and its impact on device performance are discussed. Particularly, emphasis is given toward the insight for better understanding device physics as well as improvements in device performance either by development of new materials or by new device architecture.     

Electrochemical photoluminescence modulation of functional materials and their electrochemical devices

This paper describes overview of electrofluorochromism, which is a phenomenon that controls photoluminescence through a change in the redox states of functional molecules, metal complexes, polymeric films, etc. Electrofluorochromic materials are considered prospective innovative materials because they can convert electrical input into intuitive visual signals. This field opens novel systems by combining absorption, reflection, and luminescence properties, leading to high contrast, night and day visibility, low-cost displays, and various sensing applications. The former sections provided a short overview of the electrofluorochromic phenomena and observation setups. The electrofluorochromic reactions and devices synchronized with the absorption change based on the electrochemical reaction we reported were also reviewed.     

Organic photovoltaics incorporating fulleroisoquinolinones as n-type materials

Fulleroisoquinolinones have been synthesized by palladium-catalyzed annulation of N-alkyl benzamides with C(60). A device incorporating fulleroisoquinolinones and the conjugated polymer P3HT exhibited power conversion efficiency up to 2.3% under AM 1.5G irradiation.     

Organic materials for non-linear optics nitropyridine derivatives

A variety of nitropyridine derivatives have been prepared and their second-harmonic generation (SHG) efficiencies measured in the powder form. Based on these powder measurements, two new compounds are the most non-linear substances known with absorption edge cutoffs less than 0.45 μm.     

Fluoride based electrode materials for advanced energy storage devices

Energy storage and conversion have become a prime area of research to address both the societal concerns regarding the environment and pragmatic applications such as the powering of an ever increasing cadre of portable electronic devices. This paper reviews the use of fluoride based electrode materials in energy storage devices. The majority of the energy storage and conversion applications for fluorine based materials resides in present and future lithium battery chemistries. The use of fluorides either as coatings or in the formation of oxyfluorides has resulted in a marked increase of the stability and morphological development of electrodes for use in nonaqueous lithium and lithium-ion batteries. Pure fluorides, despite their intrinsic insulative properties, have demonstrated the capability to exhibit exceptional energy densities and have the potential to open the door to future high energy lithium battery technology.     

溶液加工型有机电致发光材料与器件研究进展

有机电致发光器件（OLEDs）在平板显示和固体照明领域有着广阔的应用前景,发展十分迅速,已实现了商业化．而可溶液加工的OLEDs采用喷墨打印、卷对卷印刷等低成本方式进行加工,在实现低成本、大面积显示及照明器件等方面具有巨大的应用潜力,引起了广泛关注．实现高效溶液加工型OLEDs的实用性需要在光电材料设计合成及器件制备方法上进一步深入研究．本文总结了发光材料与器件国家重点实验室可溶液加工型OLEDs材料及器件的研究进展．     

太阳能海水脱盐中光热材料与蒸发装置的研究进展

用于海水脱盐的太阳能界面蒸发装置因其绿色环保、简单高效以及适用范围广等优点,受到了广泛关注。与传统的体积式蒸发装置不同,太阳能界面蒸发装置将太阳光的收集和蒸汽的产生锁定在空气-水的界面,无需从底部加热整体水来产生蒸汽,极大提高了能源利用效率。本文详细介绍了太阳能界面水蒸发装置的重要组成部分——光热材料的光热转换机理、材料种类以及材料的性能;探讨了高效海水净化太阳能蒸发装置的设计策略(增强光吸收、充足水供应、耐盐排盐等)。在此基础上,总结了基于界面蒸发中的太阳能蒸发装置的研究进展,展望了新型太阳能蒸发装置在海水净化领域的发展前景。     

Synthesis and properties of novel hole transport materials for electroluminescent devices

We synthesized low molecular weight triphenyldiamines (TPDs), novel 1,3,5-tris(diarylamino)benzenes (TDABs), polymeric triphenyldiamines and insoluble triphenylamine networks based on tris(4-ethynylphenyl)amine as hole transport materials for electroluminescent displays. The HOMO energy values as determined from cyclic voltammetry measurements for TPDs and TDABs are between −4.97 and −5.16 eV. By using a polymeric TPD as hole transport layer and tris(8-quinolinolato) aluminium as emitter, LEDs with an onset voltage of 3V and a luminance up to 900 cd/m² were obtained under ambient conditions.