Experimental evidence that short-range intermolecular aggregation is sufficient for efficient charge transport in conjugated polymers

Efficiency, current throughput, and speed of electronic devices are to a great extent dictated by charge carrier mobility. The classic approach to impart high carrier mobility to polymeric semiconductors has often relied on the assumption that extensive order and crystallinity are needed. Recently, however, this assumption has been challenged, because high mobility has been reported for semiconducting polymers that exhibit a surprisingly low degree of order. Here, we show that semiconducting polymers can be confined into weakly ordered fibers within an inert polymer matrix without affecting their charge transport properties. In these conditions, the semiconducting polymer chains are inhibited from attaining long-range order in the π-stacking or alkyl-stacking directions, as demonstrated from the absence of significant X-ray diffraction intensity corresponding to these crystallographic directions, yet still remain extended along the backbone direction and aggregate on a local length scale. As a result, the polymer films maintain high mobility even at very low concentrations. Our findings provide a simple picture that clarifies the role of local order and connectivity of domains.

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Graphene induced electrical percolation enables more efficient charge transport at a hybrid organic semiconductor/graphene interface

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics ◽

10.1039/c7cp07871d ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 20 (6) ◽

pp. 4422-4428 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Nicolas Boulanger ◽

Victor Yu ◽

Michael Hilke ◽

Michael F. Toney ◽

David R. Barbero

Keyword(s):

Charge Transport ◽

Organic Semiconductor ◽

Self Assembly ◽

Carrier Mobility ◽

Polymer Chains ◽

Semiconducting Polymer ◽

Electrical Percolation ◽

Graphene Interface ◽

Efficient Charge

Self-assembly of semiconducting polymer chains during crystallization reveals a percolation induced mechanism of charge transport on graphene, which enhances current and carrier mobility.

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Effect of processing additive on morphology and charge extraction in bulk-heterojunction solar cells

Journal of Materials Chemistry A ◽

10.1039/c4ta03091e ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2 (36) ◽

pp. 15052-15057 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Dong Hwan Wang ◽

Pierre-Olivier Morin ◽

Chang-Lyoul Lee ◽

Aung Ko Ko Kyaw ◽

Mario Leclerc ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Charge Carrier ◽

Charge Transport ◽

Carrier Mobility ◽

Series Resistance ◽

Bulk Heterojunction ◽

Charge Carrier Mobility ◽

Electron Charge ◽

Charge Generation ◽

Heterojunction Solar Cells ◽

Efficient Charge

The BHJ film fabricated with processing additive (DIO) exhibits improved phase-separated morphology and efficient charge generation as evidenced by decreased PL and the associated lifetime. The additive also leads to increased charge transport and decreased series resistance by means of the balanced hole and electron charge carrier mobility.

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Wide-bandgap organic nanocrystals with high mobility and tunable lasing emission

Journal of Materials Chemistry C ◽

10.1039/d0tc05309k ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yin-Xiang Li ◽

Wei Liu ◽

Meng-Na Yu ◽

Xue-Mei Dong ◽

Chang-Jin Ou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Charge Transport ◽

High Mobility ◽

Wide Bandgap ◽

Strong Emission ◽

Organic Nanocrystals ◽

Dual Color ◽

Efficient Charge

Wide-bandgap organic nanocrystals are developed. The strong emission, efficient charge transport and tunable dual-color lasing characters indicate their superior photoelectric integrated property toward potential multifunctional applications.

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Effects of Solvent Vapor Annealing on Morphology and Charge Transport of Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) Films Incorporated with Preformed P3HT Nanowires

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym12051188 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 1188

Author(s):

Mingu Jang ◽

Yang-Il Huh ◽

Mincheol Chang

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Charge Transport ◽

Carrier Mobility ◽

Morphological Changes ◽

Charge Carrier Mobility ◽

Solvent Vapor ◽

Molecular Ordering ◽

Vapor Annealing ◽

Solvent Vapor Annealing ◽

Influence Of Solvent

We systematically studied the influence of solvent vapor annealing on the molecular ordering, morphologies, and charge transport properties of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) thin films embedded with preformed crystalline P3HT nanowires (NWs). Solvent vapor annealing (SVA) with chloroform (CF) was found to profoundly impact on the structural and morphological changes, and thus on the charge transport characteristics, of the P3HT-NW-embedded P3HT films. With increased annealing time, the density of crystalline P3HT NWs was increased within the resultant films, and also intra- and intermolecular interactions of the corresponding films were significantly improved. As a result, the P3HT-NW-embedded P3HT films annealed with CF vapor for 20 min resulted in a maximized charge carrier mobility of ~0.102 cm2 V−1 s−1, which is higher than that of pristine P3HT films by 4.4-fold (μ = ~0.023 cm2 V−1 s−1).

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Semiaromatic Polyamides with Enhanced Charge Carrier Mobility

Polymer Chemistry ◽

10.1039/d1py01203g ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Bilal Oezen ◽

Nicolas Candau ◽

Cansel Temiz ◽

Ferdinand Grozema ◽

Gregory Stoclet ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Charge Carrier ◽

Carrier Mobility ◽

Charge Carrier Mobility ◽

Optoelectronic Properties ◽

Local Order ◽

Polymer Semiconductors ◽

Non Covalent Interactions ◽

Covalent Interactions

The control of local order in polymer semiconductors using non-covalent interactions may be used to engineer materials with interesting combinations of mechanical and optoelectronic properties. To investigate the possibility of...

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Ordered Organic–Inorganic Bulk Heterojunction Photovoltaic Cells

MRS Bulletin ◽

10.1557/mrs2005.7 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 37-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 115

Author(s):

Kevin M. Coakley ◽

Yuxiang Liu ◽

Chiatzun Goh ◽

Michael D. McGehee

Keyword(s):

Carrier Mobility ◽

Bulk Heterojunction ◽

Photovoltaic Cells ◽

Charge Carrier Mobility ◽

Polymer Chains ◽

Bulk Heterojunctions ◽

Ordered Structures ◽

Inorganic Semiconductors ◽

Model Studies ◽

Almost All

AbstractFabrication of bulk heterojunctions with well-ordered arrays of organic and inorganic semiconductors is a promising route to increasing the efficiency of polymer photovoltaic cells. In such structures, almost all excitons formed are close enough to the organic–inorganic interface to be dissociated by electron transfer, all charge carriers have an uninterrupted pathway to the electrodes, and polymer chains are aligned to increase their charge carrier mobility. Furthermore, ordered structures are interesting because they are relatively easy to model. Studies of ordered cells are likely to lead to better design rules for making efficient photovoltaic cells.

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Design Rules to Maximize Charge-Carrier Mobility along Conjugated Polymer Chains

The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters ◽

10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c01793 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (16) ◽

pp. 6519-6525

Author(s):

Suryoday Prodhan ◽

Jing Qiu ◽

Matteo Ricci ◽

Otello M. Roscioni ◽

Linjun Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Charge Carrier ◽

Conjugated Polymer ◽

Carrier Mobility ◽

Charge Carrier Mobility ◽

Polymer Chains ◽

Design Rules ◽

Conjugated Polymer Chains

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Effect of Film Morphology on Charge Transport in C60-based Organic Field Effect Transistors

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-1270-ii06-68 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 1270 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mujeeb Ullah ◽

Andrey K. Kadashchuk ◽

Philipp Stadler ◽

Alexander Kharchenko ◽

Almantas Pivrikas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Grain Size ◽

Charge Carrier ◽

Substrate Temperature ◽

Charge Transport ◽

Field Effect ◽

Carrier Mobility ◽

Field Effect Transistors ◽

Charge Carrier Mobility ◽

Film Morphology ◽

Organic Field Effect Transistors

AbstractThe critical factor that limits the efficiencies of organic electronic devices is the low charge carrier mobility which is attributed to disorder in organic films. In this work we study the effects of active film morphology on the charge transport in Organic Field Effect Transistors (OFETs). We fabricated the OFETs using different substrate temperature to grow different morphologies of C60 films by Hot Wall Epitaxy. Atomic Force Microscopy images and XRD results showed increasing grain size with increasing substrate temperature. An increase in field effect mobility was observed for different OFETs with increasing grain size in C60 films. The temperature dependence of charge carrier mobility in these devices followed the empirical relation named as Meyer-Neldel Rule and showed different activation energies for films with different degree of disorder. A shift in characteristic Meyer-Neldel energy was observed with changing C60 morphology which can be considered as an energetic disorder parameter.

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THEORETICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECT OF CONJUATION OF THIOPHENE RINGS ON THE CHARGE TRANSPORT OF THIENOCORONENE DERIVATIVES

Química Nova ◽

10.21577/0100-4042.20170820 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ziran Chen ◽

Yujin Zhang ◽

Zhanrong He ◽

Yuan Li ◽

Meihao Xi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Charge Carrier ◽

Charge Transport ◽

Carrier Mobility ◽

Density Functional ◽

Thiophene Ring ◽

Energy Charge ◽

Charge Carrier Mobility ◽

Basis Set ◽

Basis Sets ◽

Hybrid Functional

Based on density functional theory, quantum chemical calculations of the charge-transport rates were performed for five disc-shaped coronene derivatives with varying numbers of fused thiophene rings, using different basis sets 6-31+G(d) and 6-311++G(d,p), hybrid functionals (B3LYP, M06-2X, CAM-B3LYP, WB97XD, M08-HX), and a dispersion-corrected hybrid functional (M06-2X+D3). Our results indicate that increasing the basis set and adding diffusion and polarisation functions had little effect on the molecular reorganisation energy, charge-transport matrix element t, and charge carrier mobility μ. The charge carrier mobility calculated using B3LYP were relatively large, whereas the results calculated using CAM-B3LYP and WB97XD were similar. Among the five coronene derivatives, molecule b with one thiophene ring could be candidates for a n-type organic semiconductor, and molecule c with two thiophene rings can be designed as a p-type semiconductor.

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Theoretical investigations of the substituent effect on the electronic and charge transport properties of butterfly molecules

New Journal of Chemistry ◽

10.1039/c9nj01767d ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 43 (31) ◽

pp. 12440-12452

Author(s):

Lijuan Wang ◽

Jianhong Dai ◽

Yan Song

Keyword(s):

Charge Carrier ◽

Charge Transport ◽

Transport Properties ◽

Substituent Effect ◽

Carrier Mobility ◽

Crystal Packing ◽

Charge Carrier Mobility ◽

Theoretical Investigations

Introducing different substituents into the pyrene core leads to different crystal packing motifs, and the charge carrier mobility can be effectively modulated by the introduction of electron-donating and electron-withdrawing groups.

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