Article
Chemistry, Applied
Jong-Woon Ha, Hea Jung Park, In-Nam Kang, Do-Hoon Hwang
Summary: Thienopyrroledione (TPD) derivatives were designed and synthesized as electron-accepting core building blocks for high-performance organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. The synthesized copolymers showed broad absorption and low frontier molecular orbital energy levels. The OPV devices exhibited high power conversion efficiency (PCE), with the best performance achieved by PBDT-biTPD(HD):IT-4F.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lixuan Liu, Yangjun Yan, Shengda Zhao, Tong Wang, Wenqing Zhang, Jianqi Zhang, Xiaotao Hao, Yajie Zhang, Xinghua Zhang, Zhixiang Wei
Summary: The effect of stereoisomers on the photovoltaic performance of organic semiconductor materials has been rarely investigated. This study compares the photovoltaic performance of enantiomerically pure Y6 derivatives and their chiral mixtures. It is found that the racemic mixtures exhibit efficient light harvesting, fast hole transfer, and long polaron lifetime, leading to a higher power conversion efficiency and reduced energy loss compared to the enantiomerically pure molecules. This study highlights the importance of chirality in designing organic solar cells for enhanced efficiency.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Yafeng Liu, Xiaoyuan Chen, Min Zhang, Ruofei Hao, Songting Tan
Summary: Two copolymer donors, VT and VDT, based on TVT and TTVTT derivatives, were synthesized and applied for OSCs. The extension of conjugation was found to affect the optical and electronic properties, molecular aggregation, charge separation, and overall photovoltaic performances. OSCs based on VDT:Y6 and VT:Y6 achieved optimal PCEs of 12.67% and 8.85%, respectively, without any additives or post-solvent/thermal annealing processes. These results highlight the effectiveness of extending the π-electron delocalization of copolymer donors to enhance device performances.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Thi Uyen Tran, Jaeuk Bahng, Xuan Dang Dang, Suar Oh, Hai Phuong Duong, Seung Su Kang, Hyang Mi Yu, Wonkil Sakong, Minjeong Kim, Hyung-Seok Choi, Jaeyoon Baik, Mun Seok Jeong, Seong Chu Lim
Summary: This study analyzed the photocurrent generation mechanism of a heterostructure composed of n-type ReS2 and p-type 2D Te. The integrated structure's photocurrent generation was not solely driven by the photovoltaic effect, but also influenced by the built-in potential induced by bandgap mismatch and Fermi level difference. By modulating the source-drain bias and backgate bias, the dominant photocurrent generation in the heterostructure was found to be attributed to the photovoltaic and photothermoelectric effects, as well as their combinations. The results of this study provide new insights into adapting the photocurrent generation mechanism of conventional photovoltaic systems.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chengjin Wei, Tong Zhang, Yuling Zhao, Yang Zhou, Ma Hailin, Tianzhi Yu
Summary: Two new cyanopyridinone-capped 9,9'-bifluorenylidene derivatives were synthesized as non-fullerene acceptors for organic solar cells, exhibiting excellent solubility and improved intramolecular charge transfer. By changing the connections points of the capping groups, the photophysical and electrochemical properties of the compounds were easily adjusted. The power conversion efficiencies of the solar cells using these acceptors were improved after treating the active layers with solvent vapor annealing.
NEW JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Quan Liu, Koen Vandewal
Summary: Organic solar cells benefit from non-fullerene acceptors (NFA) due to their high absorption coefficients, tunable frontier energy levels, and optical gaps, as well as their relatively high luminescence quantum efficiencies as compared to fullerenes. This review summarizes the understanding and quantification of non-radiative decay, as well as strategies for suppressing these losses, in order to guide researchers in finding future solar harvesting donor-acceptor blends with high efficiency.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Feng Qi, Leighton O. Jones, Kui Jiang, Sei-Hum Jang, Werner Kaminsky, Jiyeon Oh, Hongna Zhang, Zongwei Cai, Changduk Yang, Kevin L. Kohlstedt, George C. Schatz, Francis R. Lin, Tobin J. Marks, Alex K. -Y. Jen
Summary: The development of non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) based on benzotriazole has shown promise in enhancing short-circuit current density (J(sc)) and efficiency of organic solar cells. By analyzing the molecular packing of NFAs through X-ray crystallography, a better understanding of the correlation between molecular structure and solar cell performance can be achieved.OSC based on specific NFAs showed efficient photon-to-current conversions, achieving high power conversion efficiency.
MATERIALS HORIZONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Yuheng Man, Linglong Ye, Yunhao Cai, Xiaobo Sun, Yanming Sun
Summary: Side-chain engineering is an effective way to develop non-fullerene acceptors for organic solar cells. A novel acceptor IT-BnC6-4F was designed and synthesized in this work, which showed a broader absorption spectrum and higher crystallinity than its analogue IT-4F. When blended with PT2, the IT-BnC6-4F based device achieved a high power conversion efficiency of 13.36%.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Jiashun Duan, Kai Feng, Ling Xu
Summary: This study investigates the spin orbit coupling (SOC) effect in electron-hole pairs of non-fullerene based organic solar cells using magneto-photocurrent (MPC) and light-induced electron paramagnetic resonance (LEPR). The results demonstrate stronger SOC in non-fullerene bulk heterojunctions, which can enhance the photovoltaic performance of the solar cells.
ORGANIC ELECTRONICS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jitong Wang, Zhanhui Peng, Jicheng Wang, Di Wu, Zupei Yang, Xiaolian Chao
Summary: In this study, we successfully improved the photovoltaic performance of NaNbO3 by narrowing the band gap and fabricated 0.2NLMNO ferroelectric ceramics, which showed significantly enhanced photocurrent density, indicating a promising new ferroelectric material with photovoltaic effect.
SCRIPTA MATERIALIA
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Christina Cheng, Stephen Wong, Garrett LeCroy, Sebastian Schneider, Enrique Gomez, Michael F. Toney, Alberto Salleo
Summary: The performance of nonfullerene-based organic solar cells is influenced by the morphology of the donor:acceptor blend, which is controlled by the composition. However, it is challenging to identify morphological design rules due to the complex relationship between composition-dependent phase behavior and device properties. In this study, the authors establish a direct link between PM6:Y6 film morphology and device properties by combining X-ray scattering and photocurrent spectroscopy. The results reveal that the charge transfer state at the amorphous-PM6:crystalline-Y6 interfaces controls the open-circuit voltage.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Qingqing Yu, Jingjing Xu, Jiehao Fu, Tongle Xu, Xinhao Yan, Shanshan Chen, Haiyan Chen, Kuan Sun, Zhipeng Kan, Shirong Lu, Zeyun Xiao
Summary: The side chains of a molecule significantly impact the photovoltaic properties of organic solar cells, with differences in performance observed when different small molecule donors are blended with specific acceptors. Crystallinity plays a key role in determining molecular stacking, phase separation, charge transport, and overall photovoltaic properties in small molecule OSCs.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xabier Rodriguez-Martinez, Enrique Pascual-San-Jose, Zhuping Fei, Martin Heeney, Roger Guimera, Mariano Campoy-Quiles
Summary: By training artificial intelligence algorithms with self-consistent datasets, this study found that Bayesian machine scientist and random decision forest methods can effectively predict the photocurrent-composition phase space in organic photovoltaic material systems. The research identified highly predictive models using only material band gaps, simplifying the rationale of the photocurrent-composition space in this field.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Yuzhang Xiao, Zehua He, Hai Jiang, Kunyuan Zuo, Qiang Guo, Yanfang Geng, Yingliang Liu, Erjun Zhou
Summary: The development of A-DA'D-A non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) has driven the progress of organic solar cells (OSCs), especially those using D-A type polymers as electron donors. However, the use of A-DA'D-A NFAs to accelerate the development of P3HT devices is still uncertain, as only limited BT-based A-DA'D-A molecules have been used in P3HT-based devices.
Article
Polymer Science
Yu-Ching Huang, Hou-Chin Cha, Shih-Han Huang, Chia-Feng Li, Svette Reina Merden Santiago, Cheng-Si Tsao
Summary: The ability to deposit organic photovoltaics (OPVs) on flexible substrates using roll-to-roll (R2R) processes is appealing for mass production. However, there is still a performance gap between R2R flexible OPVs and rigid OPVs. In this study, the promising photovoltaic characteristics of flexible OPVs fabricated from a blend of polymers PBDB-T and ITIC were demonstrated. The R2R slot-die coated flexible OPVs achieved a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of over 8.9% under simulated sunlight irradiation, highlighting the significance of processing parameters in achieving high PCE for R2R flexible OPVs.
Article
Physics, Applied
M. Bergin, T. A. Myles, A. Radic, C. J. Hatchwell, S. M. Lambrick, D. J. Ward, S. D. Eder, A. Fahy, M. Barr, P. C. Dastoor
Summary: Low-cost optical components with complex internal geometries can be fabricated using resin stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing, achieving the required vacuum properties without in situ baking. A case study demonstrates that a redesigned pinhole plate optical element, manufactured using SLA 3D printing, minimizes key sources of background signal compared to the original machined component.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Alaa Al-Ahmad, Damian Clark, John Holdsworth, Benjamin Vaughan, Warwick Belcher, Paul Dastoor
Summary: This article presents the optical design, fabrication, and evaluation of a low-cost solar simulator for photovoltaic device testing. The simulator design uses ten different high-power LEDs arranged in a hexagonal geometry to achieve excellent spatial nonuniformity of irradiance while minimizing the number of LEDs required. The design demonstrates AAA performance and low total material cost, making it an economical choice for electrical performance testing of photovoltaic devices.
IEEE JOURNAL OF PHOTOVOLTAICS
(2022)
Article
Microscopy
M. Bergin, W. Roland-Batty, C. J. Hatchwell, T. A. Myles, J. Martens, A. Fahy, M. Barr, W. J. Belcher, P. C. Dastoor
Summary: This paper presents a method for determining the resolution of scanning helium microscopy, including quantitative measurements using appropriate test samples. The aim is to establish a consensus-based protocol for this developing technique, enabling comparable quantitative measurements of surface topography and direct comparisons between different instruments.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Alaa Y. Ali, Natalie P. Holmes, Mohsen Ameri, Krishna Feron, Mahir N. Thameel, Matthew G. Barr, Adam Fahy, John Holdsworth, Warwick Belcher, Paul Dastoor, Xiaojing Zhou
Summary: This study demonstrates the production of graphene thin films with good conductivity and transparency using chemical vapour deposition. The graphene films were successfully used as transparent electrodes in organic photovoltaics, resulting in improved performance of the solar cells.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Riku Chowdhury, Natalie P. Holmes, Nathan Cooling, Warwick J. Belcher, Paul C. Dastoor, Xiaojing Zhou
Summary: The fabrication of organic photovoltaics using non-hazardous nanoparticulate inks offers promise for ecofriendly large-scale printed solar modules. Surfactant engineering can optimize the morphology of the nanoparticles and improve the photovoltaic performance.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Alaa Al-Ahmad, John Holdsworth, Benjamin Vaughan, Warwick Belcher, Xiaojing Zhou, Paul Dastoor
Summary: The solar simulator is crucial for the development and testing of photovoltaic devices. LED-based solar simulation offers better electrical efficiency and irradiance uniformity while meeting spectral intensity requirements. This work presents a scalable, large-area LED-based solar simulator design that meets Class AAA performance standards for printed solar cell testing.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Justine Bull, Sophie Cottam, Isaac A. Gill, Paul C. Dastoor, Natalie P. Holmes
Summary: In this undergraduate teaching laboratory, students synthesize and characterize colloidal nanoparticles of organic semiconductors and evaluate their suitability for printed electronics applications. The laboratory exercise includes characterization techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy, and teaches students how to match electron donating and accepting materials based on literature characteristics. The exercise was well-received by the students and can be adapted for various disciplines and levels of experience.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sabrina D. Eder, Adam Fahy, Matthew G. Barr, J. R. Manson, Bodil Holst, Paul C. Dastoor
Summary: Neutral helium microscopy is a completely nondestructive, surface-sensitive imaging technique that can be used to observe sub-resolution contrast of nanoscale thin films, providing information on the topography of the surface features and obtaining a macroscopic overview. This technique has wide applications.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Connor P. Sherwood, Rafael Crovador, Jessie A. Posar, Nathan Brichta, Matthew P. Simunovic, Fiona Louie, Paul C. Dastoor, Alan M. Brichta, Julie M. Cairney, Natalie P. Holmes, Rebecca Lim, Matthew J. Griffith
Summary: Organic semiconductors are promising materials for neural interfaces due to their biocompatibility, soft mechanical properties, and electron/ion conduction. This study explores the optoelectronic and neural interfacing properties of six organic semiconductor polymers and small molecules, which could be used for trichromatic artificial retinas. The biocompatibility of these materials is confirmed through cell viability and morphological analysis, although differences in morphological compatibility are observed compared to a glass control.
ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Physics, Applied
M. Bergin, J. Martens, P. C. Dastoor
Summary: By imaging the distribution of electron population on the ioniser, it was found that the instability of the detector at high electron densities is caused by non-uniformities in the electron distribution. The formation of a virtual cathode and a plasma instability are proposed as the origins of this non-uniformity.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Alaa Y. Y. Ali, Natalie P. P. Holmes, Nathan Cooling, John Holdsworth, Warwick Belcher, Paul Dastoor, Xiaojing Zhou
Summary: The performance of P3HT:PCBM organic photovoltaic devices is influenced by environmental conditions, thermal annealing, and material blend composition. Optimized laboratory fabricated devices show that humidity during fabrication can cause electrode oxidation and photo-oxidation, while thermal annealing can enhance device performance by modifying the morphology of the active layer. Additionally, the choice of PEDOT:PSS material affects the performance of P3HT:PCBM devices.
Article
Education & Educational Research
M. J. Gladys, J. E. Furst, J. L. Holdsworth, P. C. Dastoor
Summary: The multiple-choice section of the final examination for the first-year Advanced Physics I course at the University of Newcastle, Australia between 2010 and 2018 was found to have approximately 20% of the questions exhibiting statistically significant gender bias. A proposed schema for characterizing the questions was used to analyze the entire set, revealing moderate to large bias in favor of males through characteristics related to visualization, and moderate bias in favor of females through numerical calculations involving simple one-step equations. These findings suggest that gender bias analysis using a characterization schema could be used as a routine tool for testing gender gaps in student performance in physics.
PHYSICAL REVIEW PHYSICS EDUCATION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
S. M. Lambrick, M. Bergin, D. J. Ward, M. Barr, A. Fahy, T. Myles, A. Radic, P. C. Dastoor, J. Ellis, A. P. Jardine
Summary: In this study, results obtained from a scanning helium microscope (SHeM) under typical operating conditions are presented, showing the observation of diffuse scattering with an approximately cosine-like distribution centered about the surface normal. This distribution is markedly different from those observed from well-prepared surfaces typically studied in helium atom scattering experiments. Knowledge of the typical scattering distribution in SHeM experiments serves as a basis for interpreting topographic contrast in images and comparing against more exotic contrast mechanisms.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2022)