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Persson I, Laval H, Chambon S, Bonfante G, Hirakawa K, Wantz G, Watts B, Marcus MA, Xu X, Ying L, Lakhwani G, Andersson MR, Cairney JM, Holmes NP. Sub-4 nm mapping of donor-acceptor organic semiconductor nanoparticle composition. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:6126-6142. [PMID: 36939532 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr00839h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
We report, for the first time, sub-4 nm mapping of donor : acceptor nanoparticle composition in eco-friendly colloidal dispersions for organic electronics. Low energy scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) mapping has revealed the internal morphology of organic semiconductor donor : acceptor blend nanoparticles at the sub-4 nm level. A unique element was available for utilisation as a fingerprint element to differentiate donor from acceptor material in each blend system. Si was used to map the location of donor polymer PTzBI-Si in PTzBI-Si:N2200 nanoparticles, and S (in addition to N) was used to map donor polymer TQ1 in TQ1:PC71BM nanoparticles. For select material blends, synchrotron-based scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM), was demonstrated to remain as the superior chemical contrast technique for mapping organic donor : acceptor morphology, including for material combinations lacking a unique fingerprint element (e.g. PTQ10:Y6), or systems where the unique element is in a terminal functional group (unsaturated, dangling bonds) and can hence be easily damaged under the electron beam, e.g. F on PTQ10 donor polymer in the PTQ10:IDIC donor : acceptor blend. We provide both qualitative and quantitative compositional mapping of organic semiconductor nanoparticles with STEM EDX, with sub-domains resolved in nanoparticles as small as 30 nm in diameter. The sub-4 nm mapping technology reported here shows great promise for the optimisation of organic semiconductor blends for applications in organic electronics (solar cells and bioelectronics) and photocatalysis, and has further applications in organic core-shell nanomedicines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingemar Persson
- Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
- Thin Film Physics, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, SE-58183 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Hugo Laval
- University of Bordeaux, IMS, CNRS, UMR 5218, Bordeaux INP, ENSCBP, F-33405 Talence, France
| | - Sylvain Chambon
- LIMMS/CNRS-IIS (IRL2820), Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8505, Japan
| | - Gwenael Bonfante
- LIMMS/CNRS-IIS (IRL2820), Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8505, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Hirakawa
- LIMMS/CNRS-IIS (IRL2820), Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8505, Japan
| | - Guillaume Wantz
- University of Bordeaux, IMS, CNRS, UMR 5218, Bordeaux INP, ENSCBP, F-33405 Talence, France
| | | | - Matthew A Marcus
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Xiaoxue Xu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Lei Ying
- 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
| | - Girish Lakhwani
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science, School of Chemistry, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
- The University of Sydney Nano Institute, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Mats R Andersson
- Flinders Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia 5042, Australia
| | - Julie M Cairney
- Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
- School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Natalie P Holmes
- Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
- The University of Sydney Nano Institute, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
- School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
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Porcu S, Secci F, Ricci PC. Advances in Hybrid Composites for Photocatalytic Applications: A Review. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27206828. [PMID: 36296421 PMCID: PMC9607189 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27206828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Heterogeneous photocatalysts have garnered extensive attention as a sustainable way for environmental remediation and energy storage process. Water splitting, solar energy conversion, and pollutant degradation are examples of nowadays applications where semiconductor-based photocatalysts represent a potentially disruptive technology. The exploitation of solar radiation for photocatalysis could generate a strong impact by decreasing the energy demand and simultaneously mitigating the impact of anthropogenic pollutants. However, most of the actual photocatalysts work only on energy radiation in the Near-UV region (<400 nm), and the studies and development of new photocatalysts with high efficiency in the visible range of the spectrum are required. In this regard, hybrid organic/inorganic photocatalysts have emerged as highly potential materials to drastically improve visible photocatalytic efficiency. In this review, we will analyze the state-of-art and the developments of hybrid photocatalysts for energy storage and energy conversion process as well as their application in pollutant degradation and water treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Porcu
- Department of Physics, University of Cagliari, S.P. No. 8 Km 0.700, 09042 Monserrato, Italy
| | - Francesco Secci
- Department of Chemical and Geological Science, University of Cagliari, S.P. No. 8 Km 0.700, 09042 Monserrato, Italy
| | - Pier Carlo Ricci
- Department of Physics, University of Cagliari, S.P. No. 8 Km 0.700, 09042 Monserrato, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-070675-4821
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