Abstract
Many typical organic optoelectronic devices, such as light-emitting diodes, field-effect transistors, and photovoltaic cells, use an ultrathin active layer where the organic semiconductor is confined within nanoscale dimensions. However, the question of how this spatial constraint impacts the active material is rarely addressed, although it may have a drastic influence on the phase behavior and microstructure of the active layer and hence the final performance. Here, the small-molecule semiconductor p-DTS(FBTTh2)2 is used as a model system to illustrate how sensitive this class of material can be to spatial confinement on device-relevant length scales. It is also shown that this effect can be exploited; it is demonstrated, for instance, that spatial confinement is an efficient tool to direct the crystal orientation and overall texture of p-DTS(FBTTh2)2 structures in a controlled manner, allowing for the manipulation of properties including photoluminescence and charge transport characteristics. This insight should be widely applicable as the temperature/confinement phase diagrams established via differential scanning calorimetry and grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction are used to identify specific processing routes that can be directly extrapolated to other functional organic materials, such as polymeric semiconductors, ferroelectrics or high-refractive-index polymers, to induce desired crystal textures or specific (potentially new) polymorphs.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1700308 |
| Journal | Advanced Electronic Materials |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 1 2018 |
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Keywords
- AAO
- confinement
- crystallization
- organic semiconductors
- phase diagrams
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
Cite this
On the Effect of Confinement on the Structure and Properties of Small-Molecular Organic Semiconductors. / Martín, Jaime; Dyson, Matthew; Reid, Obadiah G.; Li, Ruipeng; Nogales, Aurora; Smilgies, Detlef M.; Silva, Carlos; Rumbles, Gary; Amassian, Aram; Stingelin, Natalie.
In: Advanced Electronic Materials, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1700308, 01.01.2018.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - On the Effect of Confinement on the Structure and Properties of Small-Molecular Organic Semiconductors
AU - Martín, Jaime
AU - Dyson, Matthew
AU - Reid, Obadiah G.
AU - Li, Ruipeng
AU - Nogales, Aurora
AU - Smilgies, Detlef M.
AU - Silva, Carlos
AU - Rumbles, Gary
AU - Amassian, Aram
AU - Stingelin, Natalie
PY - 2018/1/1
Y1 - 2018/1/1
N2 - Many typical organic optoelectronic devices, such as light-emitting diodes, field-effect transistors, and photovoltaic cells, use an ultrathin active layer where the organic semiconductor is confined within nanoscale dimensions. However, the question of how this spatial constraint impacts the active material is rarely addressed, although it may have a drastic influence on the phase behavior and microstructure of the active layer and hence the final performance. Here, the small-molecule semiconductor p-DTS(FBTTh2)2 is used as a model system to illustrate how sensitive this class of material can be to spatial confinement on device-relevant length scales. It is also shown that this effect can be exploited; it is demonstrated, for instance, that spatial confinement is an efficient tool to direct the crystal orientation and overall texture of p-DTS(FBTTh2)2 structures in a controlled manner, allowing for the manipulation of properties including photoluminescence and charge transport characteristics. This insight should be widely applicable as the temperature/confinement phase diagrams established via differential scanning calorimetry and grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction are used to identify specific processing routes that can be directly extrapolated to other functional organic materials, such as polymeric semiconductors, ferroelectrics or high-refractive-index polymers, to induce desired crystal textures or specific (potentially new) polymorphs.
AB - Many typical organic optoelectronic devices, such as light-emitting diodes, field-effect transistors, and photovoltaic cells, use an ultrathin active layer where the organic semiconductor is confined within nanoscale dimensions. However, the question of how this spatial constraint impacts the active material is rarely addressed, although it may have a drastic influence on the phase behavior and microstructure of the active layer and hence the final performance. Here, the small-molecule semiconductor p-DTS(FBTTh2)2 is used as a model system to illustrate how sensitive this class of material can be to spatial confinement on device-relevant length scales. It is also shown that this effect can be exploited; it is demonstrated, for instance, that spatial confinement is an efficient tool to direct the crystal orientation and overall texture of p-DTS(FBTTh2)2 structures in a controlled manner, allowing for the manipulation of properties including photoluminescence and charge transport characteristics. This insight should be widely applicable as the temperature/confinement phase diagrams established via differential scanning calorimetry and grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction are used to identify specific processing routes that can be directly extrapolated to other functional organic materials, such as polymeric semiconductors, ferroelectrics or high-refractive-index polymers, to induce desired crystal textures or specific (potentially new) polymorphs.
KW - AAO
KW - confinement
KW - crystallization
KW - organic semiconductors
KW - phase diagrams
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85037722863&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85037722863&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/aelm.201700308
DO - 10.1002/aelm.201700308
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85037722863
VL - 4
JO - Advanced Electronic Materials
JF - Advanced Electronic Materials
SN - 2199-160X
IS - 1
M1 - 1700308
ER -