Article
Chemistry, Applied
Zhiyong Liu, Hongen Wang
Summary: In this study, a ternary polymer solar cell was fabricated using two well-compatible donors and one acceptor, achieving a higher power conversion efficiency. The use of two donors with similar HOMO energy levels and cascade LUMO energy levels is an efficient method to improve the performance of PSCs.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Kai-Xin Liu, Jie Yang, Yang Bai, Quan-Song Li
Summary: In this study, two new donors were designed and optimized for high-performance organic solar cells. The calculations showed that the designed donors exhibited good charge mobility and strong interactions with the acceptor, making them promising candidates for efficient photovoltaic materials.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Zhiyong Liu, Ning Wang
Summary: Ternary blend films, achieved by introducing a third component to a binary polymer solar cell, offer a promising strategy for enhancing power conversion efficiency through optimizing light absorption range, surface morphology, charge carrier transport, and energy level alignment. Mixing a polymer acceptor into the binary photoactive layer to form a ternary blend has been shown to improve photovoltaic performance by enabling higher electron mobility, balanced charge transport, optimized surface morphology, and extended light absorption.
ORGANIC ELECTRONICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Han Zhang, Hong-En Wang, Ting Zhu, Zhiyong Liu, Lan Chen
Summary: In this study, high-performance and thermally stable organic solar cells were achieved by using two blended polymers as donors and one acceptor. The optimized ternary films showed improved power conversion efficiency and thermal stability, attributed to the energy level matching and high crystallization of the photoactive layer.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Jiaxiu Man, Zhiyong Liu
Summary: In this study, ternary polymer solar cells were fabricated using D18-Cl and D18 as blend donors and T6 as an acceptor. The optimized ternary PSCs with 35 wt% D18 achieved a power conversion efficiency of 16.66% and significantly improved short-circuit current density.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Zhiyong Liu
Summary: Ternary organic photovoltaics with a blend of two similar chemical structure polymers as the donor achieved a higher power conversion efficiency by broadening the light spectrum and optimizing the phase separation and crystallinity. The enhanced performance can be attributed to the combination of cascade LUMO levels, improved exciton dissociation, and efficient charge transport within the ternary films.
ORGANIC ELECTRONICS
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Hong-En Wang, Zhiyong Liu
Summary: In this study, a fullerene derivative NC(70)BA was used as a guest acceptor and introduced into PM7:Y6 binary films to fabricate ternary organic solar cells. The optimized ternary films achieved a high power conversion efficiency and improved the properties of the photoactive layer.
ORGANIC ELECTRONICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Tao Li, Bin Li, Haoxiang Zhou, Jun Wang, Gang Ni, Wanli Ma, Chuanxiang Sheng, Jianyu Yuan, Haibin Zhao
Summary: This study reports on the ultrafast dynamics of charge transfer and exciton dissociation in single-material organic solar cells for the first time. It is found that the intramolecular interface in the block copolymer has a higher transfer rate, and the dilute PBDB-T-b-PTY6 film has faster exciton dissociation. By optimizing ordering, the power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells can be improved.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zhiyong Liu, Hong-En Wang
Summary: A ternary heterojunction strategy using PBDB-T-2F, IT-4F, and NC(70)BA as donor, acceptor, and third component, respectively, leads to improved photovoltaic performance in polymer solar cells. The introduction of NC(70)BA optimizes light absorption and exciton dissociation, resulting in a highest power conversion efficiency of 13.90% in an optimized ratio. This ternary strategy shows promise for developing highly efficient ternary PSCs.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Chao Ma, Christopher C. S. Chan, Xinhui Zou, Han Yu, Jianquan Zhang, He Yan, Kam Sing Wong, Philip C. Y. Chow
Summary: Organic solar cells based on nonfullerene acceptor molecules exhibit high charge generation rates, with exciton dissociation at the D/A interface taking approximately 100 ps to complete. The charge transfer state separation into free electrons and holes at room temperature shows a similar timescale, but the free charge generation rate and yield are significantly reduced at low temperatures.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yuanyuan Zhou, Miao Li, Shuaishuai Shen, Jing Wang, Rui Zheng, Hao Lu, Yahui Liu, Zaifei Ma, Jinsheng Song, Zhishan Bo
Summary: The rapid development of fused-ring electron acceptors has made them a potential substitute to fullerene-based acceptors in organic solar cells, while nonfused-ring acceptors can significantly reduce synthetic cost and achieve reasonable power conversion efficiencies.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Huanhuan Yao, Tai Wu, Cheng Wu, Liming Ding, Yong Hua, Feng Hao
Summary: This study aims to improve the exciton binding energy and film quality of 2D Dion-Jacobson (DJ) tin halide perovskite by designing organic spacers. The results show that ortho-phenylenediamine (o-PDA) spacer reduces the exciton binding energy and enhances structural stability, resulting in dense and uniform high-quality films. Furthermore, o-PDA spacer enables effective charge transfer and achieves a record power conversion efficiency of 7.18% for 2D DJ (o-PDA)FA3Sn4I13 solar cells.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
J. Man, Z. Liu
Summary: The ternary strategy is a promising approach to improve the performance of organic solar cells. In this study, a polymer donor, PCDTBT, was doped into a D18-Cl:Y6 binary film to fabricate ternary OSCs. The results showed that an appropriate content of PCDTBT significantly enhanced the short-circuit current density and photovoltaic performance of the devices.
MATERIALS TODAY CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yabing Tang, Hong Zheng, Xiaobo Zhou, Zheng Tang, Wei Ma, Han Yan
Summary: Non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) have not only improved the efficiency of organic solar cells (OSCs), but also prompted the reevaluation of photocharge generation and charge separation routes. By introducing n-dopants, the utilization of spontaneously formed photocharges in NFAs can be optimized, leading to improved photocurrent and conversion efficiencies in ultralow donor-content dilute bulk heterojunction (BHJ) devices. Furthermore, the advantages of n-doping are observed in both 100 nm and 400 nm thick OSCs, renewing the potential of efficient single-component OSCs.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jiaxiu Man, Zhiyong Liu
Summary: In this study, ternary polymer solar cells (PSCs) were constructed using Y6 and BTP-eC9 blends as acceptors and D18-Cl as a donor, leading to improved power conversion efficiency (PCE). BTP-eC9, compared to Y6, exhibited a red-shifted absorption peak, resulting in the optimized ternary PSCs having the highest short-circuit current density (JSC). Additionally, BTP-eC9 showed a shallower LUMO level and played a role in broadening the energy level difference, contributing to a higher open-circuit voltage (V-OC) in the ternary PSCs. Furthermore, the blend of Y6 and BTP-eC9 as acceptors enhanced the crystallinity and improved the surface and bulk morphology of the ternary films, leading to enhanced charge carrier mobility and suppressed charge carrier recombination.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Jie Ma, Muazzam Idris, Tian Y. Li, Daniel S. M. Ravinson, Tyler Fleetham, Jongchan Kim, Peter Djurovich, Stephen R. Forrest, Mark E. Thompson
Summary: Wide energy gap materials SAS and XAX, with high triplet energies and large energy gaps, serve as promising hosts for blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes by suppressing luminescence quenching pathways and achieving high external quantum efficiency.
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Tian-yi Li, Jonas Schaab, Peter Djurovich, Mark E. Thompson
Summary: A series of two-coordinate coinage metal complexes with carbene-metal-amide structures were prepared. These complexes exhibit thermal assisted delayed fluorescence emission at room temperature and have high photoluminescent quantum yields. Investigation on the natural transition orbital overlap of the emissive state showed its significant influence on the photophysical properties.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY C
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Jie Ma, Savannah C. Kapper, Aamani Ponnekanti, Jonas Schaab, Peter Djurovich, Mark E. Thompson
Summary: This study investigated three different two-coordinate Cu(I) complexes with different steric bulky groups, and found that the substituents have negligible impact on the luminescence energies of the complexes but modulate the rotation barriers along the metal-ligand coordinate bond. Crystallographic analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed that the geometric arrangement of ligands differs with alkyl substituents. Calculations showed that nonradiative decay rates decrease with increasing bulk of the substituents on the ligands.
APPLIED ORGANOMETALLIC CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mark E. Thompson, Collin N. Muniz, Jonas Schaab, Anton Razgoniaev, Peter I. Djurovich
Summary: Ag and Au complexes have been developed as highly efficient luminescent materials with extremely fast radiative rates through thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) process. By selectively extending the pi-system of the carbene and amide ligands, blue-emissive complexes with high photoluminescence efficiency and fast radiative rates can be achieved. The separation between the hole and electron in the excited state plays a crucial role in the energy gap.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Kierstyn P. Anderson, Arnold L. Rheingold, Peter I. Djurovich, Ovie Soman, Alexander M. Spokoyny
Summary: This work advances the foundation of anti-B18H22 chemistry by exploring cluster reactivity and the luminescent properties of resulting compounds. The synthesis and luminescent properties of new anti-B18H22 derivatives 4-I-B18H21 and 7-Cl-B18H21 are described and compared to existing monohalogenated species. The results show that electrophilic halogenation and chlorination can be used to synthesize anti-B18H22 compounds with different luminescent properties.
Correction
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jonas Schaab, Rasha Hamze, Shuyang Shi, Savannah C. Kapper, Daniel Sylvinson Muthiah Ravinson, Laura Estergreen, Moon-Chul Jung, Abegail C. Tadle, Ralf Haiges, Peter I. Djurovich, Jesse L. Peltier, Rodolphe Jazzar, Guy Bertrand, Stephen E. Bradforth, Mark E. Thompson
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Megan A. Cassingham, Yang G. Goh, Eric T. McClure, Taylor L. Hodgkins, Weiguo Zhang, Mingli Liang, Jahan M. Dawlaty, Peter I. Djurovich, Ralf Haiges, P. Shiv Halasyamani, Christopher N. Savory, Mark E. Thompson, Brent C. Melot
Summary: We report the growth and photophysical characterization of two polar hybrid lead halide phases, methylenedianiline lead iodide and bromide, (MDA)Pb2I6 and (MDA)Pb2Br6, respectively. The noncentrosymmetric crystal structure of these phases leads to highly oriented molecular dipole moments, resulting in second harmonic generation (SHG) upon excitation at 1064 nm. The size dependence of the SHG signal indicates that the bromide exhibits a stronger phase-matching response while the iodide exhibits a significantly weaker non-phase-matching signal. Fluorescence from (MDA)Pb2Br6 is observed around 630 nm below 75 K, whereas (MDA)Pb2I6 exhibits very weak luminescence. The contrasting optical properties are attributed to differences in the character of the halide sublattice, with the increased polarizability of the iodide ions reducing the local electric field in the crystals.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Collin N. Muniz, Claire A. Archer, Jack S. Applebaum, Anushan Alagaratnam, Jonas Schaab, Peter I. Djurovich, Mark E. Thompson
Summary: Generating sustainable fuel from sunlight is crucial for meeting current energy demands. This study introduces two-coordinate carbene-metal-amide (cMa) complexes, Cu(I) and Au(I), as sensitizers for light-driven water reduction to produce hydrogen. These complexes have high visible light absorption, long excited-state lifetimes, and stable photoreducing properties. The performance of copper- and gold-based cMa complexes in photocatalytic hydrogen generation is compared, and it is found that the catalyst-free system with the two-coordinate complexes can also produce hydrogen. This work identifies two-coordinate coinage metal complexes as promising photosensitizers for solar fuel production.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Tianran Liu, Quinn C. Burlingame, Marko R. Ivancevic, Xiao Liu, Junnan Hu, Barry P. Rand, Yueh-Lin Loo
Summary: In this study, the photostability of films and solar cells comprising Y-series non-fullerene acceptors were investigated. UV and near-UV photons were found to be responsible for the degradation of acceptors, leading to early performance losses in solar cells. The weak point in the Y-series acceptors susceptible to UV-induced cleavage was identified as the vinylene linkage between the core and electron-accepting moieties. The efficiency losses in organic photovoltaic cells were attributed to the formation of traps, reducing charge extraction efficiency and facilitating non-radiative recombination as the Y-series acceptors degrade.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wei Wei, Jie Ma, Jonas Schaab, Jason Brooks, Seogshin Kang, Matthew T. Whited, Peter I. Djurovich, Mark E. Thompson
Summary: This study synthesizes and characterizes two spirobifluorenyl derivatives, SB-C and SB-Si, which are used as host materials in PHOLED. Despite having similar energy and gap properties, SB-Si exhibits superior charge-transporting ability compared to SB-C. SB-Si demonstrates high efficiency as a host material for blue and green devices, with maximum efficiencies of 12.6% and 9.6%, respectively. These results emphasize the importance of considering host morphology and the benefits of incorporating triphenylsilyl moiety in the design of efficient PHOLEDs.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Abdulrahman M. M. Alfaraidi, Jonas Schaab, Eric T. T. McClure, Michael Kellogg, Taylor L. L. Hodgkins, Muazzam Idris, Stephen E. E. Bradforth, Brent C. C. Melot, Mark E. E. Thompson, Peter I. I. Djurovich
Summary: The photoluminescence properties of (pyH)PbBr3 and (pyH)PbI3 compounds were studied as a function of temperature. The compounds displayed weak luminescence at room temperature, which was significantly enhanced upon cooling. The low energy emission of both compounds was attributed to transitions from self-trapped excitons on the inorganic chains, while the higher energy emission of (pyH)PbBr3 was assigned to luminescence from a free exciton state. Temperature-dependent measurements revealed activation energies for non-radiative decay processes and a superlinear response suggestive of quenching by static traps in (pyH)PbI3.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Quinn C. Burlingame, Xiao Liu, Melissa L. Ball, Barry P. Rand, Yueh-Lin Loo
Summary: Intermolecular charge-transfer excitons play a crucial role in determining the performance of organic solar cells. By investigating the voltage-dependent photoluminescence, photocurrent, and ultrafast pump-probe transient absorption spectra, the properties of charge transfer excitons can be revealed. The correlation between voltage-dependent photocurrent and charge-transfer exciton photoluminescence affects the photovoltaic fill factor, as efficient charge-transfer exciton dissociation requires voltage.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Correction
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jonas Schaab, Rasha Hamze, Shuyang Shi, Savannah C. Kapper, Daniel Sylvinson Muthiah Ravinson, Laura Estergreen, Moon-Chul Jung, Abegail C. Tadle, Ralf Haiges, Peter I. Djurovich, Jesse L. Peltier, Rodolphe Jazzar, Guy Bertrand, Stephen E. Bradforth, Mark E. Thompson
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Kierstyn P. Anderson, Ash Sueh Hua, John B. Plumley, Austin D. Ready, Arnold L. Rheingold, Thomas L. Peng, Peter Djurovich, Christopher Kerestes, Neil A. Snyder, Andrew Andrews, Justin R. Caram, Alexander M. Spokoyny
Summary: The dynamic photoluminescence properties and potential quenching mechanisms of anti-B18H22, 4,4'-Br-2-anti-B18H20, and 4,4'-I-2-anti-B18H20 are investigated in solution and polymer films. UV stability studies show no decomposition occurring after intense 7 day light soaking for neat powders, while clusters incorporated into polymer films degrade into smaller borane fragments under the same irradiation conditions. In addition, the favorable optical properties of these compounds are leveraged in a prototype UV imaging setup.
DALTON TRANSACTIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Katie A. Spence, Jason Chari, Mattia Di Niro, Robert B. Susick, Narcisse Ukwitegetse, Peter Djurovich, Mark E. Thompson, Neil K. Garg
Summary: This paper reports a method for accessing pi-extended polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) through the annulation of heterocyclic building blocks. The utility of this method in the synthesis and study of organic materials is demonstrated.