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Polymers
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Structure-Property Relationships in Organic Semiconductors
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Structure-Property Relationships in Organic Semiconductors

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Physics and Theory".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 11401

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Bhoj Gautam

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Physics and Materials Science, Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, NC 28301, USA
Interests: condensed matter physics; polymer chemistry; organic solar cells; organic light emitting diodes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This special issue is motivated by the increasing research interest in synthesis, fabrication and characterization of organic semiconductors (OSCs) for several novel applications. The properties of OSCs– including relatively easy and inexpensive fabrication, light weight, mechanical flexibility and compatibility with stretchability, and non-toxic processing methods – open broad prospects for their applications in variety of industrial and technological areas including solar cells, light emitting diodes, and thin film transistors.

Polymer solar cells (PSCs) based on organic semiconductors can be fabricated in nontoxic form and can be a part of sustainable economy as they can overcome the concerns on environmental impact and toxicity.  Moreover, due to the wavelength tunability of donor and acceptor materials used in PSCs, semi-transparent devices can be fabricated. Such devices are useful for light harvesting applications in small buildings. As sunlight has 50% of its radiation in near infrared (NIR) region, exploring the organic semiconductors that can also absorb the NIR sunlight can provide a new avenue to produce inexpensive flexible solar cell. Therefore, it is a critical need to understand the opto-electronic processes in these materials in relation to the chemical structure of donor and acceptor molecules and morphological details of the donor-acceptor blend that underlie high-efficiency.

This special issue highlights the recent progress in the field of PSCs. Considering your significant contribution in this field, I hence cordially invite you to submit your research work in this special issue entitled “Structure-property Relationships in Organic Semiconductors”.

Dr. Bhoj Gautam
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Polymers
  • Fullerene derivatives
  • Non-Fullerene acceptors
  • Morphology
  • Side chain
  • Renewable energy
  • Charge generation
  • Charge transport
  • Charge recombination
  • Energy loss
  • Open circuit voltage
  • Fill factor
  • Short circuit density
  • Mobility
  • Excitons
  • Charge transfer states
  • External quantum efficiency
  • Electroluminescence

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 4355 KiB  
Article
Aggregation Controlled Charge Generation in Fullerene Based Bulk Heterojunction Polymer Solar Cells: Effect of Additive
by Washat Ware, Tia Wright, Yimin Mao, Shubo Han, Jessa Guffie, Evgeny O. Danilov, Jeromy Rech, Wei You, Zhiping Luo and Bhoj Gautam
Polymers 2021, 13(1), 115; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13010115 - 30 Dec 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3048
Abstract
Optimization of charge generation in polymer blends is crucial for the fabrication of highly efficient polymer solar cells. While the impacts of the polymer chemical structure, energy alignment, and interface on charge generation have been well studied, not much is known about the [...] Read more.
Optimization of charge generation in polymer blends is crucial for the fabrication of highly efficient polymer solar cells. While the impacts of the polymer chemical structure, energy alignment, and interface on charge generation have been well studied, not much is known about the impact of polymer aggregation on charge generation. Here, we studied the impact of aggregation on charge generation using transient absorption spectroscopy, neutron scattering, and atomic force microscopy. Our measurements indicate that the 1,8-diiodooctane additive can change the aggregation behavior of poly(benzodithiophene-alt-dithienyl difluorobenzotriazole (PBnDT-FTAZ) and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM)polymer blends and impact the charge generation process. Our observations show that the charge generation can be optimized by tuning the aggregation in polymer blends, which can be beneficial for the design of highly efficient fullerene-based organic photovoltaic devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structure-Property Relationships in Organic Semiconductors)
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11 pages, 3675 KiB  
Article
Donor-Acceptor Polymer Based on Planar Structure of Alkylidene-Fluorene Derivative: Correlation of Power Conversion Efficiency among Polymer and Various Acceptor Units
by Eui Jin Lee and Ho Jun Song
Polymers 2020, 12(12), 2859; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12122859 - 29 Nov 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2271
Abstract
This study synthesized a novel polymer, poly(alkylidene fluorene-alt-diphenylquinoxaline) (PAFDQ), based on a planar alkylidene-fluorene and a highly soluble quinoxaline derivative through the Suzuki coupling reaction. We designed a novel molecular structure based on alkylidene fluorene and quinoxaline derivatives due to compact packing property [...] Read more.
This study synthesized a novel polymer, poly(alkylidene fluorene-alt-diphenylquinoxaline) (PAFDQ), based on a planar alkylidene-fluorene and a highly soluble quinoxaline derivative through the Suzuki coupling reaction. We designed a novel molecular structure based on alkylidene fluorene and quinoxaline derivatives due to compact packing property by the planar structure of alkyidene fluorene and efficient intra-molecular charge transfer by quinoxaline derivatives. The polymer was largely dissolved in organic solvents, with a number average molecular weight and polydispersity index of 13.2 kg/mol and 2.74, respectively. PAFDQ showed higher thermal stability compared with the general fluorene structure owing to its rigid alkylidene-fluorene structure. The highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital levels of PAFDQ were −5.37 eV and −3.42 eV, respectively. According to X-ray diffraction measurements, PAFDQ exhibited the formation of an ordered lamellar structure and conventional edge-on π-stacking. The device based on PAFDQ/Y6-BO-4Cl showed the best performance in terms of short circuit current (9.86 mA/cm2), open-circuit voltage (0.76 V), fill factor (44.23%), and power conversion efficiency (3.32%). Moreover, in the PAFDQ/Y6-BO-4Cl-based film, the phase separation of donor-rich and acceptor-rich phases, and the connected dark domains, was observed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structure-Property Relationships in Organic Semiconductors)
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16 pages, 3608 KiB  
Article
Innovative Incorporation of Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) as Hole Carrier Transport Layer and as Anode for Organic Solar Cells Performance Improvement
by Leon Hamui, Maria Elena Sánchez-Vergara, Ricardo Corona-Sánchez, Omar Jiménez-Sandoval and Cecilio Álvarez-Toledano
Polymers 2020, 12(12), 2808; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12122808 - 27 Nov 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2131
Abstract
In this work, we present a comparative study of benzoid poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) as electrode and as hole carrier transport layer (HTL) in the manufacture of organic photovoltaic devices using Fischer metal-carbene complexes. The performance of the different devices was evaluated for solar cell [...] Read more.
In this work, we present a comparative study of benzoid poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) as electrode and as hole carrier transport layer (HTL) in the manufacture of organic photovoltaic devices using Fischer metal-carbene complexes. The performance of the different devices was evaluated for solar cell applications. Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the thin films that integrated the devices. A more ordered and crystallized active film microstructure is observed when using benzoid PEDOT:PSS as nucleation layer. The optical gap for both direct and indirect electronic transitions was evaluated from ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy data (UV-vis), as well as the absorption coefficient (α), and the values are in the range of 2.10–2.93 eV. Photovoltaic devices with conventional architecture, using two different chromium carbenes as active layers, were manufactured, and their electrical behavior was studied. The devices were irradiated with different wavelengths between the infrared and ultraviolet regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Using the PEDOT:PSS film as hole carrier transport layer (HTL) decreases the slope on the ohmic and space charge limited current (SCLC) regions and eliminates the trap-charge limited current (T-CLC) mechanism. Furthermore, a saturation current of ~1.95 × 10−10 A and higher current values ~1.75 × 10−2 A at 4 V, ~4 orders in magnitude larger were observed. The PEDOT:PSS films as HTL in the devices reduced the injection barrier, thus showing a better performance than as anodes in this type of organic solar cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structure-Property Relationships in Organic Semiconductors)
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12 pages, 3371 KiB  
Article
Effect of Thermal Annealing on Conformation of MEH-PPV Chains in Polymer Matrix: Coexistence of H- and J-Aggregates
by Shu Hu, Yang Liao, Yang Zhang, Xiaoliang Yan, Zhenlu Zhao, Weiqiang Chen, Xin Zhang, Hongxing Liu, Heng Li, Li Li, Ming Sun and Chuanxiang Sheng
Polymers 2020, 12(8), 1771; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12081771 - 7 Aug 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3439
Abstract
In diluted solid solution using poly(2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene) (MEH-PPV) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) or polystyrene (PS), both aggregated and extended conformations could be formed according to the weight ratio. Aggregated conformation in as-cast MEH-PPV/PMMA film presented a J-aggregate-like photoluminescence (PL) emission. After annealing at 160 [...] Read more.
In diluted solid solution using poly(2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene) (MEH-PPV) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) or polystyrene (PS), both aggregated and extended conformations could be formed according to the weight ratio. Aggregated conformation in as-cast MEH-PPV/PMMA film presented a J-aggregate-like photoluminescence (PL) emission. After annealing at 160 °C, its PL showed characteristics of both J- and H-aggregates at the same time; however, extended conformation showed an oligomer-like emission, which was not sensitive to either measurement temperature or annealing temperature. Thus, the conformation transition between aggregated and extended is unlikely to happen in MEH-PPV/PMMA blends during thermal annealing. On the contrary, in MEH-PPV/PS blends, extended conformation dominated in as-cast film with oligomer-like emissions; after annealing at 160 °C, both J- and H- aggregate-like PL emissions were observed, indicating the conformation transitioned from extended to aggregated. Therefore, our work may suggest a new method to manipulate photophysical properties of conjugated polymers by combining appropriate host matrix and thermal annealing processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structure-Property Relationships in Organic Semiconductors)
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