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Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Heterobimetallic conducting polymers based on salophen complexes via electrosynthesis
    (London [u.a.] : RSC, 2023) Bia, Francesca; Gualandi, Isacco; Griebel, Jan; Rasmussen, Leon; Hallak, Bassam; Tonelli, Domenica; Kersting, Berthold
    In this work, we report the first electrochemical synthesis of two copolymeric bimetallic conducting polymers by a simple anodic electropolymerization method. The adopted precursors are electroactive transition metal (M = Ni, Cu and Fe) salophen complexes, which can be easily obtained by direct chemical synthesis. The resulting films, labeled poly-NiCu and poly-CuFe, were characterized by cyclic voltammetry in both organic and aqueous media, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and coupled energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The films are conductive and exhibit great electrochemical stability in both organic and aqueous media (resistant over 100 cycles without significant loss in current response or changes in electrochemical behavior), which makes them good candidates for an array of potential applications. Electrochemical detection of ascorbic acid was performed using both materials.
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    A general approach for all-visible-light switching of diarylethenes through triplet sensitization using semiconducting nanocrystals
    (London [u.a.] : RSC, 2022) Hou, Lili; Larsson, Wera; Hecht, Stefan; Andréasson, Joakim; Albinsson, Bo
    Coupling semiconducting nanocrystals (NCs) with organic molecules provides an efficient route to generate and transfer triplet excitons. These excitons can be used to power photochemical transformations such as photoisomerization reactions using low energy radiation. Thus, it is desirable to develop a general approach that can efficiently be used to control photoswitches using all-visible-light aiming at future applications in life- and materials sciences. Here, we demonstrate a simple ‘cocktail’ strategy that can achieve all-visible-light switchable diarylethenes (DAEs) through triplet energy transfer from the hybrid of CdS NCs and phenanthrene-3-carboxylic acid, with high photoisomerization efficiency and improved fatigue resistance. The size-tunable excitation energies of CdS NCs make it possible to precisely match the clear spectral window of the relevant DAE photoswitch. We demonstrate reversible all-visible-light photoisomerization of a series of DAE derivatives both in the liquid and solid state, even in the presence of oxygen. Our general strategy is promising for fabrication of all-visible-light activated optoelectronic devices as well as memories, and should in principle be adaptable to photopharmacology.
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    Influence of chemical interactions on the electronic properties of BiOI/organic semiconductor heterojunctions for application in solution-processed electronics
    (London [u.a.] : RSC, 2023) Lapalikar, Vaidehi; Dacha, Preetam; Hambsch, Mike; Hofstetter, Yvonne J.; Vaynzof, Yana; Mannsfeld, Stefan C. B.; Ruck, Michael
    Bismuth oxide iodide (BiOI) has been viewed as a suitable environmentally-friendly alternative to lead-halide perovskites for low-cost (opto-)electronic applications such as photodetectors, phototransistors and sensors. To enable its incorporation in these devices in a convenient, scalable, and economical way, BiOI thin films were investigated as part of heterojunctions with various p-type organic semiconductors (OSCs) and tested in a field-effect transistor (FET) configuration. The hybrid heterojunctions, which combine the respective functionalities of BiOI and the OSCs were processed from solution under ambient atmosphere. The characteristics of each of these hybrid systems were correlated with the physical and chemical properties of the respective materials using a concept based on heteropolar chemical interactions at the interface. Systems suitable for application in lateral transport devices were identified and it was demonstrated how materials in the hybrids interact to provide improved and synergistic properties. These indentified heterojunction FETs are a first instance of successful incorporation of solution-processed BiOI thin films in a three-terminal device. They show a significant threshold voltage shift and retained carrier mobility compared to pristine OSC devices and open up possibilities for future optoelectronic applications.
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    Rhodamine 6G and 800 intermolecular heteroaggregates embedded in PMMA for near-infrared wavelength shifting
    (London [u.a.] : RSC, 2022) Castillo-Seoane, Javier; Gonzalez-Garcia, Lola; Obrero-Perez, José M.; Aparicio, Francisco J.; Borrás, Ana; González-Elipe, Agustín R.; Barranco, Ángel; Sanchez-Valencia, Juan R.
    The opto-electronic properties of small-molecules and functional dyes usually differ when incorporated into solid matrices with respect to their isolated form due to an aggregation phenomenon that alters their optical and fluorescent properties. These spectroscopic modifications are studied in the framework of the exciton theory of aggregates, which has been extensively applied in the literature for the study of molecular aggregates of the same type of molecules (homoaggregation). Despite the demonstrated potential of the control of the heteroaggregation process (aggregation of different types of molecules), most of the reported works are devoted to intramolecular aggregates, complex molecules formed by several chromophores attached by organic linkers. The intramolecular aggregates are specifically designed to hold a certain molecular structure that, on the basis of the exciton theory, modifies their optical and fluorescent properties with respect to the isolated chromophores that form the molecule. The present article describes in detail the incorporation of Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) and 800 (Rh800) into polymeric matrices of poly-(methyl methacrylate), PMMA. The simultaneous incorporation of both dyes results in an enhanced fluorescent emission in the near-infrared (NIR), originating from the formation of ground-state Rh6G–Rh800 intermolecular heteroaggregates. The systematic control of the concentration of both rhodamines provides a model system for the elucidation of the heteroaggregate formation. The efficient energy transfer between Rh6G and Rh800 molecules can be used as wavelength shifters to convert effectively the light from visible to NIR, a very convenient wavelength range for many practical applications which make use of inexpensive commercial detectors and systems.
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    Remarkable performance recovery in highly defective perovskite solar cells by photo-oxidation
    (London [u.a.] : RSC, 2023) Goetz, Katelyn P.; Thome, Fabian T. F.; An, Qingzhi; Hofstetter, Yvonne J.; Schramm, Tim; Yangui, Aymen; Kiligaridis, Alexander; Loeffler, Markus; Taylor, Alexander D.; Scheblykin, Ivan G.; Vaynzof, Yana
    Exposure to environmental factors is generally expected to cause degradation in perovskite films and solar cells. Herein, we show that films with certain defect profiles can display the opposite effect, healing upon exposure to oxygen under illumination. We tune the iodine content of methylammonium lead triiodide perovskite from understoichiometric to overstoichiometric and expose them to oxygen and light prior to the addition of the top layers of the device, thereby examining the defect dependence of their photooxidative response in the absence of storage-related chemical processes. The contrast between the photovoltaic properties of the cells with different defects is stark. Understoichiometric samples indeed degrade, demonstrating performance at 33% of their untreated counterparts, while stoichiometric samples maintain their performance levels. Surprisingly, overstoichiometric samples, which show low current density and strong reverse hysteresis when untreated, heal to maximum performance levels (the same as untreated, stoichiometric samples) upon the photooxidative treatment. A similar, albeit smaller-scale, effect is observed for triple cation and methylammonium-free compositions, demonstrating the general application of this treatment to state-of-the-art compositions. We examine the reasons behind this response by a suite of characterization techniques, finding that the performance changes coincide with microstructural decay at the crystal surface, reorientation of the bulk crystal structure for the understoichiometric cells, and a decrease in the iodine-to-lead ratio of all films. These results indicate that defect engineering is a powerful tool to manipulate the stability of perovskite solar cells.