Flexible Metal Oxide Semiconductor Devices Made by Solution Methods

For the fabrication of next-generation flexible metal oxide devices, solution-based methods are considered as a promising approach because of their potential advantages, such as high-throughput, large-area scalability, low-cost processing, and easy control over the chemical composition. However, to obtain certain levels of electrical performance, a high process temperature is essential, which can significantly limit its application in flexible electronics. Therefore, this article discusses recent research conducted on developing low-temperature, solution-processed, flexible, metal oxide semiconductor devices, from a single thin-film transistor device to fully integrated circuits and systems. The main challenges of solution-processed metal oxide semiconductors are introduced. Recent advances in materials, processes, and semiconductor structures are then presented, followed by recent advances in electronic circuits and systems based on these semiconductors, including emerging flexible energy-harvesting devices for self-powered systems that integrate displays, sensors, data-storage units, and information processing functions.     

2D conductive metal-organic frameworks for electronics and spintronics

Two-dimensional(2D) materials showcase great potentials in both fundamental research and technology development, thanks to their unique chemical and physical properties that are usually not available in corresponding bulk counterparts. As an emerging class of 2D materials, 2D conductive metal-organic frameworks(2D c-MOFs) exhibit the characteristics of pre-designable and tunable structures, excellent crystallinity, intrinsic porosity and superior conductivity. During the past decade, 2D c-MOFs have been rapidly developed in electronics, sensors, energy storage devices, etc. In this review, the electrical, magnetic and quantum properties of 2D c-MOFs are surveyed in detail. Their applications in semiconductor, metal, superconductor, topological insulator and porous magnet are highlighted. We envision that the combination of 2D c-MOFs with quantum materials could evoke rich physics, flexible chemistry and potential applications in both electronics and spintronics.     

Organic electronics—Silicon device design without semiconductor band theory

Before the invention of the transistor in the 1940s, semiconductors were used as detectors in radios in a device called a “cat’s whisker”. At that time their operation was completely mysterious. Only after the introduction of semiconductor band theory did it become clear that the “cat’s whisker” is a primitive example of a metal-semiconductor Schottky diode. Today organic materials are being investigated for their electronic properties. Such materials are especially attractive for lightweight, flexible, and low-cost solar cells and light emitting devices, as well as transistors and electrophotographic photoreceptors. Yet, even after 40 years of work and a large database, the physics and chemistry that determines the electronic properties of organic materials are not well understood. Practicing organic electronics is like attempting to do silicon device design without semiconductor band theory. It is the purpose of this paper to briefly summarize what is known about the electronic properties of organic materials from charge transport data. It will be shown that our understanding of the charge transport mechanism and the electronic properties of organic materials is at a rudimentary phase which is a limiting factor in applying these materials to practical devices, very similar to the “cat’s whisker” phase of inorganic semiconductor research.     

Thiophene polymer semiconductors for organic thin-film transistors

Printed organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) have received great interests as potentially low-cost alternative to silicon technology for application in large-area, flexible, and ultra-low-cost electronics. One of the critical materials for TFTs is semiconductor, which has a dominant impact on the transistor properties. We review here the structural studies and design of thiophene-based polymer semiconductors with respect to solution processability, ambient stability, molecular self-organization, and field-effect transistor properties for OTFT applications. We show that through judicial monomer design, delicately controlled pi-conjugation, and strategically positioned pendant side-chain distribution, novel solution-processable thiophene polymer semiconductors with excellent self-organization ability to form extended lamellar pi-stacking orders can be developed. OTFTs using semiconductors of this nature processed in ambient conditions have provided excellent field-effect transistor properties.     

SnS2纳米片的制备及其器件应用进展

二维半导体是一种新兴的具有石墨烯类似结构的电子材料,拥有优异的电学、光学、磁学、力学等性能,可应用于不同的技术领域,因而成为当今材料科学研究领域的热点之一。在众多的二维半导体材料之中,二硫化锡(SnS₂)是一种对环境友好的电子材料,由自然界含量丰富的硫元素和锡元素组成。它在微电子学、太阳能电池、光催化等诸多方面均展现出巨大的应用潜力,受到了广泛的关注。本文主要介绍了近期气相沉积法制备SnS₂纳米片及其在电子学与光电子学领域中的应用进展。     

High-performance and multifunctional organic field-effect transistors

Organic field-effect transistors(OFETs) refer to field-effect transistors that use organic semiconductors as channel materials. Owing to the advantages of organic materials such as solution processability and intrinsic flexibility, OFETs are expected to be applicable in emergent technologies including wearable electronics and sensors, flexible displays, internet-of-things, neuromorphic computing, etc. Improving the electrical performance and developing multifunctionalities of OFETs are two major...     

Recent progress in 2D materials for flexible supercapacitors

High performance supercapacitors coupled with mechanical flexibility are needed to drive flexible and wearable electronics that have anesthetic appeal and multi-functionality. Two dimensional (2D) materials have attracted attention owing to their unique physicochemical and electrochemical properties, in addition to their ability to form hetero-structures with other nanomaterials further improving mechanical and electrochemical properties. After a brief introduction of supercapacitors and 2D materials, recent progress on flexible supercapacitors using 2D materials is reviewed. Here we provide insights into the structure–property relationships of flexible electrodes, in particular free-standing films. We also present our perspectives on the development of flexible supercapacitors.     

Imide-Functionalized Polymer Semiconductors

Imide-functionalized π-conjugated polymer semiconductors have received a great deal of interest owing to their unique physicochemical properties and optoelectronic characteristics, including excellent solubility, highly planar backbones, widely tunable band gaps and energy levels of frontier molecular orbitals, and good film morphology. The organic electronics community has witnessed rapid expansion of the materials library and remarkable improvement in device performance recently. This review summarizes the development of imide-functionalized polymer semiconductors as well as their device performance in organic thin-film transistors and polymer solar cells, mainly achieved in the past three years. The materials mainly cover naphthalene diimide, perylene diimide, and bithiophene imide, and other imide-based polymer semiconductors are also discussed. The perspective offers our insights for developing new imide-functionalized building blocks and polymer semiconductors with optimized optoelectronic properties. We hope that this review will generate more research interest in the community to realize further improved device performance by developing new imide-functionalized polymer semiconductors.     

Photodetector arrays directly assembled onto polymer substrates from aqueous solution

We report a simple and inexpensive approach to directly assemble arrays of cadmium sulfide (CdS) semiconductors onto transparent flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) sheets via a polymer-mediated selective nucleation and growth process from an aqueous solution. This strategy of assembling functional materials onto plastics utilizes the surface functional molecules of the UV photooxidation patterned polymer to direct the nucleation and growth of CdS. We demonstrated that such assembled structures are viable for flexible macroelectronics, as manifested by the fabrication of CdS photodetector arrays on PET that can withstand bending. The best devices exhibited a specific detectivity of 3 x 10(11) cm Hz(1/2) W(-1) at 514-nm excitation wavelength at a modulation frequency of 90 Hz at room temperature. This direct assembly strategy eliminates additional lithography and etching steps during the deposition of the active inorganic semiconductor layer, is general to other inorganic materials and plastic substrates, and can enable low-cost, wearable, and/or disposable flexible electronics.     

印刷有机数字电路及应用

印刷有机电子技术是基于印刷原理的有机电子器件制造技术,是指将有机电子材料配制成功能性油墨,用印刷方式来制造电子器件与系统的方法,其发展涉及到材料化学、微电子学等多个学科方面的知识。其独特的制造方式和器件形态具有柔性、低成本、大面积制造等优势,并且与传统硅基电子器件在应用场合上形成了互补,在生物传感、电子皮肤、柔性显示等领域展示出优势。为了及时跟进这一快速发展的领域,对领域的发展有宏观的把握,本文从印刷技术和电路系统的角度进行了全面概述,介绍了喷墨打印、丝网印刷和转印印刷等印刷技术和基于印刷技术制备的有机数字电路(反相器、与非门、环形振荡器、D触发器),以及实现功能化的印刷电子应用(RFID、电子皮肤、OLED显示驱动背板等);最后,对本领域目前存在的问题和未来发展方向做了简要探讨。     

共轭聚合物光电探测器研究进展

相较于传统无机半导体材料,有机共轭聚合物半导体具有响应光谱高度可调、质量轻、可大面积制备、与柔性基板兼容等优点,其作为光活性层在下一代可穿戴光电探测器的应用中显示出巨大的应用潜力.共轭聚合物具有多样化的结构设计,不同的分子结构对其光物理化学性能可进行灵活调控,进而展现出各具特色的光电特性.同时,通过结构优化亦可赋予共轭...     

Recent progress in MXene and graphene based nanocomposites for microwave absorption and electromagnetic interference shielding

There is widespread use of telecommunication and microwave technology in modern society, and raised the electromagnetic interference (EMI) issue to alarming situation due to apprehensive demand and growth of 5G technology undesirably disturbing the human health. The two dimensional (2D) materials including graphene and MXenes are already been used for variety of electronic devices due to their exceptional electrical, mechanical, optical, chemical, and thermal properties. MXene is composed of metal carbides, in which mainly metals are the building blocks for dielectrics, semiconductors, or semimetals. However, the strong interfaces with electromagnetic waves (EM) are variable from terahertz (THz) to gigahertz (GHz) frequency levels and are widely used in EMI and Microwave absorption (MA) for mobile networks and communication technologies. The use of different organic materials with metal, organic, inorganic fillers, polymers nanocomposite and MXene as a novel material has been studied to address the recent advancement and challenges in the microwave absorption mechanism of 2D materials and their nanocomposites. In this concern, various techniques and materials has been reported for the improvement of shielding effectiveness (SE), and theoretical aspects of EMI shielding performance, as well stability of 2D materials particularly MXene, graphene and its nanocomposites. Consequently, various materials including polymers, conducting polymers, and metal–organic frameworks (MOF) have also been discussed by introducing various strategies for improved MA and control of EMI shieling. Here in this comprehensive review, we summarized the recent developments on material synthesis and fabrication of MXene based nanocomposites for EMI shielding and MA. This research work is a comprehensive review majorly focuses on the fundamentals of EMI/MA.  The recent developments and challenges of the MXene and graphene based various structures with different polymeric composites are described in a broader perspective.     

Soft nanotechnology with soft nanoparticles

The last decade of research in the physical sciences has seen a dramatic increase in the study of nanoscale materials. Today, "nanoscience" has emerged as a multidisciplinary effort, wherein obtaining a fundamental understanding of the optical, electrical, magnetic, and mechanical properties of nanostructures promises to deliver the next generation of functional materials for a wide range of applications. While this range of efforts is extremely broad, much of the work has focused on "hard" materials, such as Buckyballs, carbon nanotubes, metals, semiconductors, and organic or inorganic dielectrics. Meanwhile, the soft materials of current interest typically include conducting or emissive polymers for "plastic electronics" applications. Despite the continued interest in these established areas of nanoscience, new classes of soft nanomaterials are being developed from more traditional polymeric constructs. Specifically, nanostructured hydrogels are emerging as a promising group of materials for multiple biotechnology applications as the need for advanced materials in the post-genomic era grows. This review will present some of the recent advances in the marriage between water-swellable networks and nanoscience.     

Conductance Switch of a Bromoplumbate Bistable Semiconductor by Electron‐Transfer Thermochromism

Electron‐transfer (redox) thermochromism was successfully used for switching the conductance of semiconductors, by introducing a thermally active organic component into an inorganic semiconducting framework. A moisture‐resistant semiconductor {(MV)₂[Pb₇Br₁₈]}_n (MV²⁺=methyl viologen cation) has been prepared through an in situ synthetic method for MV²⁺. It features a rare 3D haloplumbate open framework and unprecedented electron‐transfer thermochromic behavior in haloplumbates. The electrical conductivity of this compound dropped significantly after coloration and restored after decoloration, which was satisfactorily explained by valence band XPS and theoretical data. This work not only offers a new approach to modify electrical properties of semiconductors without altering components or structures, but may lead to the development of over‐temperature color indicators, circuit overload protectors or photovoltaic materials.     

碲化锗场效应晶体管的制备及电学性能

采用微机械剥离法得到横向尺寸为10 μm的碲化锗(GeTe)纳米片. 通过电子束曝光和真空溅射镀膜的方法, 以钛金合金为接触电极, 制备基于二维碲化锗(2D-GeTe)纳米材料的场效应晶体管(FET), 并测定了其电学性能. 结果表明, 剥离所得GeTe纳米材料具有良好的结晶性, 光学带隙为1.98 eV, 属于p型半导体; 该场效应晶体管展现出了6.4 cm²·V^?1·s^?1的载流子迁移率和670的开关电流比的良好电学性能.     

Inorganic p-type semiconductors and carbon materials based hole transport materials for perovskite solar cells

Incorporation of proper inorganic p-type semiconductors as hole transport layer has great potential to increase long-term stability while maintaining high power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells with low material cost.     

柔性电子学中的表界面化学

柔性电子作为新兴的研究热点, 涉及材料、 化学、 物理等多个基础学科的交叉, 以及在生物医用、 可穿戴设备及人工智能等多个领域的应用. 柔性电子设备的制造加工过程中会用到弹性基底、 导电层、 功能层等多种性质各异的材料, 其互相之间的整合受到它们表面性质和界面结合力的限制; 器件的功能、 可靠性、 对环境的敏感性等也受到了器件表界面性质的影响; 因此, 对材料和器件表界面的处理在柔性电子学中具有重要作用. 本文对柔性电子学中常用的表界面化学过程分为3大类进行介绍: 表面电化学过程, 基于特定化合物反应产生的电流制备电化学传感器, 利用电流/电压控制表面负载化合物; 表面修饰, 通过表面改性提高材料的加工性能, 共价修饰分子层或其它材料赋予器件特殊功能性质或保护层; 不同材料之间的界面连接, 通过共价连接或化学反应辅助的物理交联实现不同材料的结合, 提高柔性器件的稳定性, 实现柔性设备的整合. 对各应用进行总结和举例后, 讨论了存在的问题, 并对未来的发展方向及前景进行了展望.     

二次锂电池聚合物正极材料研究进展

近几十年,二次锂电池作为重要的储能装置得到迅猛发展,而开发高性能的锂电池电极材料一直是电化学能源领域的研究热点之一。与传统无机正极材料相比,聚合物正极材料具有比容量高、柔软性好、廉价易得、环境友好、加工方便、可设计性强等诸多优点。本文综述了导电聚合物、共轭羰基聚合物以及含硫聚合物正极材料的结构特点、电极反应机理、电化学性能和近五年来的重大研究进展,总结了这三类聚合物电极材料的优缺点,并重点介绍了含硫聚合物电极材料中存在的问题及改进手段,最后提出了综合这三类聚合物优点的含硫共轭导电聚合物将会是该领域的研究方向。     

Emerging approach in semiconductor photocatalysis: Towards 3D architectures for efficient solar fuels generation in semi-artificial photosynthetic systems

Interest in the application of semiconductors toward the photocatalytic generation of solar fuels, including hydrogen from water-splitting and hydrocarbons from the reduction of carbon dioxide, remains strong due to concerns over the continued emission of greenhouse gases as well as other environmental impacts from the use of fossil fuels. While the efficiency and durability of such systems will depend heavily on the types of the semiconductors, co-catalysts, and mediators employed, the dimensionality of the semiconductors employed can also have a significant impact. Recognizing the broad nature of this field and the many recent advances in it, this review focuses on the emerging approaches from 0-dimensional (0D) to 3-dimensional (3D) semiconductor photocatalysts towards efficient solar fuels generation. We place particular emphasis on systems that are “semi-artificial”, that is, hybrid systems that integrate naturally occurring enzymes or whole cells with semiconductor components that harvest light energy. The semiconductors in these systems must have suitable interfacial properties for immobilization of enzymes to be effective photocatalysts. These requirements are particularly sensitive to surface structures and morphology, making the semiconductor dimensionality a critical factor. In addition to providing an overview of advances towards designing 3D architecture in semi-artificial photosynthetic field, we also present recent advances in fabrication strategies for 3D inorganic photocatalysts.