Construction of Layered Structure of Anion-Cations To Tune the Work Function of Aluminum-Doped Zinc Oxide for Inverted Polymer Solar Cells.

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces

Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices , South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640 , P. R. China.

Published: March 2018

Suitable work function (WF) of the cathode in polymer solar cells (PSCs) is of essential importance for the efficient electron extraction and collection to boost the power conversion efficiency. Herein, we report a facile and efficient method to tune the surface WF of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) through building of a definite interfacial dipole, which is realized by the construction of a layered structure of positive and negative ionized species. A cross-linked perylene bisimide (poly-PBI) thin film is deposited onto the AZO surface first, and then it is reduced to the radical anion state (poly-PBI) in an electrochemical cell, using tetraoctylammonium (TOA), a bulky cation, as a counter ion. Owing to the huge volume of TOA, it is absorbed on the surface of the cross-linked PBI thin film through Coulomb force, and thus a definite interface dipole is formed between the two ionized layers. Because of the definite interface dipole, the surface WF of the electrode modified with ionized layers is decreased dramatically to 3.9 eV, which is much lower than that of the electrode modified with the neutral PBI layer (4.5 eV). By using this novel cathode interlayer with a definite interface dipole in PSCs, a significantly increased open-circuit voltage ( V) is obtained. The results indicate that it is a facile and unique method by the construction of a definite interface dipole to tune the surface WF of the electrode for the application in organic electronic devices.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsami.7b16653DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

definite interface
16
interface dipole
16
construction layered
8
layered structure
8
work function
8
aluminum-doped zinc
8
zinc oxide
8
polymer solar
8
solar cells
8
tune surface
8

Similar Publications

Ice interfaces are pivotal in mediating key chemical and physical processes such as heterogeneous chemical reactions in the environment, ice nucleation, and cloud microphysics. At the ice surface, water molecules form a quasi-liquid layer (QLL) with properties distinct from those of the bulk. Despite numerous experimental and theoretical studies, a molecular-level understanding of the QLL has remained elusive.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Interfacial fluid manipulation with bioinspired strategies: special wettability and asymmetric structures.

Chem Soc Rev

January 2025

School of materials science and engineering, Smart sensing interdisciplinary science center, Nankai university, Tianjin 300350, P. R. China.

The inspirations from nature always enlighten us to develop advanced science and technology. To survive in complicated and harsh environments, plants and animals have evolved remarkable capabilities to control fluid transfer sophisticated designs such as wettability contrast, oriented micro-/nano-structures, and geometry gradients. Based on the bioinspired structures, the on-surface fluid manipulation exhibits spontaneous, continuous, smart, and integrated performances, which can promote the applications in the fields of heat transfer, microfluidics, heterogeneous catalysis, water harvesting, Although fluid manipulating interfaces (FMIs) have provided plenty of ideas to optimize the current systems, a comprehensive review of history, classification, fabrication, and integration focusing on their interfacial chemistry and asymmetric structure is highly required.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Modeling fibrous tissue for vascular fluid-structure interaction analysis poses significant challenges due to the lack of effective tools for preparing simulation data from medical images. This limitation hinders the physiologically realistic modeling of vasculature and its use in clinical settings. Leveraging an established lumen modeling strategy, we propose a comprehensive pipeline for generating thick-walled artery models.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Data-driven natural computational psychophysiology in class.

Cogn Neurodyn

December 2024

School of Biomedical Engineering, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515 China.

The assessment of mental fatigue (MF) and attention span in educational and healthcare settings frequently relies on subjective scales or methods such as induced-task interruption tools. However, these approaches are deficient in real-time evaluation and dynamic definitions. To address this gap, this paper proposes a Continuous Quantitative Scale (CQS) that allows for the natural and real-time measurement of MF based on group-synchronized electroencephalogram (EEG) data.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Can mathematical proofs be employed for the solution of fundamental molecular-level problems in biology? Recently, I mathematically tackled complex mechanistic problems arising during the synthesis of the universal biological currency, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by the FF-ATP synthase, nature's smallest rotary molecular motor, using graph-theoretical and combinatorial approaches for the membrane-bound F and water-soluble F domains of this fascinating molecule (see Nath in Theory Biosci 141:249‒260, 2022 and Theory Biosci 143:217‒227, 2024). In the third part of this trilogy, I investigate another critical aspect of the molecular mechanism-that of coupling between the F and F domains of the ATP synthase mediated by the central γ-subunit of nanometer diameter. According to Nath's torsional mechanism of energy transduction and ATP synthesis the γ-subunit twists during ATP synthesis and the release of stored torsional energy in the central γ-stalk causes conformational changes in the catalytic sites that lead to ATP synthesis, with 1 ATP molecule synthesized per discrete 120° rotation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!