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A Review of Three-Dimensional Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscopy (3D-SNOM) and Its Applications in Nanoscale Light Management. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/app7100973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Nabha-Barnea S, Maman N, Visoly-Fisher I, Shikler R. Microscopic Investigation of Degradation Processes in a Polyfluorene Blend by Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopy. Macromolecules 2016. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.6b01543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shiran Nabha-Barnea
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, ‡Department of Solar Energy and
Environmental Physics, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and
Energy Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, §Ilse Katz Institute
For Nano-Science and Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’er
Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - Nitzan Maman
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, ‡Department of Solar Energy and
Environmental Physics, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and
Energy Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, §Ilse Katz Institute
For Nano-Science and Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’er
Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - Iris Visoly-Fisher
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, ‡Department of Solar Energy and
Environmental Physics, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and
Energy Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, §Ilse Katz Institute
For Nano-Science and Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’er
Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - Rafi Shikler
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, ‡Department of Solar Energy and
Environmental Physics, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and
Energy Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, §Ilse Katz Institute
For Nano-Science and Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’er
Sheva 8410501, Israel
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Coffey DC, Ginger DS. Time-resolved electrostatic force microscopy of polymer solar cells. NATURE MATERIALS 2006; 5:735-40. [PMID: 16906141 DOI: 10.1038/nmat1712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2006] [Accepted: 07/17/2006] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Blends of conjugated polymers with fullerenes, polymers, or nanocrystals make promising materials for low-cost photovoltaic applications. Different processing conditions affect the efficiencies of these solar cells by creating a variety of nanostructured morphologies, however, the relationship between film structure and device efficiency is not fully understood. We introduce time-resolved electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) as a means to measure photoexcited charge in polymer films with a resolution of 100 nm and 100 micros. These EFM measurements correlate well with the external quantum efficiencies measured for a series of polymer photodiodes, providing a direct link between local morphology, local optoelectronic properties and device performance. The data show that the domain centres account for the majority of the photoinduced charge collected in polyfluorene blend devices. These results underscore the importance of controlling not only the length scale of phase separation, but also the composition of the domains when optimizing nanostructured solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C Coffey
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1560, USA
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Shikler R, Chiesa M, Friend RH. Photovoltaic Performance and Morphology of Polyfluorene Blends: The Influence of Phase Separation Evolution. Macromolecules 2006. [DOI: 10.1021/ma060421m] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rafi Shikler
- Cavendish Laboratory, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
| | - Marco Chiesa
- Cavendish Laboratory, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
| | - Richard H. Friend
- Cavendish Laboratory, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
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Ito S, Aoki H. Nano-Imaging of Polymers by Optical Microscopy. POLYMER ANALYSIS POLYMER THEORY 2005. [DOI: 10.1007/b135562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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Richards D, Cacialli F. Near-field microscopy and lithography of light-emitting polymers. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2004; 362:771-786. [PMID: 15306493 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2003.1346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
We describe the application of scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) to the study of the photophysical and self-organization properties of thin films of blends of conjugated polymers, and also to the lateral nanoscale patterning of conjugated-polymer structures. Such thin-film plastic semiconductor nanostructures offer significant potential for use in opto-electronic devices. The implementation of SNOM we employ is the most established form in which a probe with a sub-wavelength aperture is scanned in close proximity to the sample surface. We consider the nature of the near-field optical distribution, which decays within the first ca. 100 nm of these semiconductor materials, and address the identification of topographic artefacts in near-field optical images. While the topographic information obtained simultaneously with optical data in any SNOM experiment enables an easy comparison with the higher-resolution tapping-mode atomic force microscopy, the spectroscopic contrast provided by fluorescence SNOM gives an unambiguous chemical identification of the different phases in a conjugated-polymer blend. Both fluorescence and photoconductivity SNOM indicate that intermixing of constituent polymers in a blend, or nanoscale phase separation, is responsible for the high efficiency of devices employing these materials as their active layer. We also demonstrate a scheme for nano-optical lithography with SNOM of conjugated-polymer structures, which has been employed successfully for the fabrication of poly(-phenylene vinylene) nanostructures with 160 nm feature sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Richards
- Department of Physics, King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS, UK.
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Kotova OV, Eliseeva SV, Perevedentseva EV, Limonova TF, Baigeldieva RA, Vitukhnovsky AG, Kuzmina NP. The topography of organic light-emitting diode-component functional layers as studied by atomic force microscopy. MENDELEEV COMMUNICATIONS 2004. [DOI: 10.1070/mc2004v014n04abeh001963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Richards D. Near-field microscopy: throwing light on the nanoworld. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2003; 361:2843-2857. [PMID: 14667301 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2003.1282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Optical microscopy with nanoscale resolution, beyond that which is possible with conventional diffraction-limited microscopy, may be achieved by scanning a nanoantenna in close proximity to a sample surface. This review will first aim to provide an overview of the basic principles of this technique of scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM), before moving on to consider the most widely implemented form of this microscopy, in which the sample is illuminated through a small aperture held less than 10 nm from the sample surface for optical imaging with a resolution of ca. 50 nm. As an example of the application of this microscopy, the results of SNOM measurements of light-emitting polymer nanostructures are presented. In particular, SNOM enables the unambiguous identification of the different phases present in the nanostructures, through the local analysis of the fluorescence from the polymers. The exciting new possibilities for high-resolution optical microscopy and spectroscopy promised by apertureless SNOM techniques are also considered. Apertureless SNOM may involve local scattering of light from a sample surface by a tip, local enhancement of an optical signal by a metal tip, or the use of a fluorescent molecule or nanoparticle attached to a tip as a local optical probe of a surface. These new optical nanoprobes offer the promise of optical microscopy with true nanometre spatial resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Richards
- Department of Physics, King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS, UK
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Chappell J, Lidzey DG, Jukes PC, Higgins AM, Thompson RL, O'Connor S, Grizzi I, Fletcher R, O'Brien J, Geoghegan M, Jones RAL. Correlating structure with fluorescence emission in phase-separated conjugated-polymer blends. NATURE MATERIALS 2003; 2:616-621. [PMID: 12923529 DOI: 10.1038/nmat959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2002] [Accepted: 07/15/2003] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Blends of conjugated polymers are frequently used as the active semiconducting layer in light-emitting diodes and photovoltaic devices. Here we report the use of scanning near-field optical microscopy, scanning force microscopy and nuclear-reaction analysis to study the structure of a thin film of a phase-separated blend of two conjugated polymers prepared by spin-casting. We show that in addition to the well-known micrometre-scale phase-separated morphology of the blend, one of the polymers preferentially wets the surface and forms a 10-nm-thick, partially crystallized wetting layer. Using near-field microscopy we identify unexpected changes in the fluorescence emission from the blend that occurs in a 300-nm-wide band located at the interface between the different phase-separated domains. Our measurements provide an insight into the complex structure of phase-separated conjugated-polymer thin films. Characterizing and controlling the properties of the interfaces in such films will be critical in the further development of efficient optoelectronic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Chappell
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK
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Chappell J, Lidzey DG. Phase separation in polyfluorene-polymethylmethacrylate blends studied using UV near-field microscopy. J Microsc 2003; 209:188-93. [PMID: 12641760 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2818.2003.01110.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In this paper we present a near-field microscopy study of thin films of a phase-separated blend of the fluorescent conjugated-polymer poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) [PFO] with the non-fluorescent polymer polymethylmethacrylate [PMMA]. A scanning near-field optical microscope (NSOM) was used to generate (blue) fluorescence from the PFO following UV excitation at 362 nm. A range of different concentrations of PFO in PMMA were studied ranging from 1 to 50% PFO in PMMA by mass. By studying both the shear force and fluorescence images we were able accurately to determine the distribution of PFO in the PMMA. We found that phase separation occurs over a number of different length-scales between 5 micro m and 250 nm. We show that at PFO concentrations of 1%, the PFO lies on top of the PMMA. At a PFO relative concentration of 50%, the PMMA phase extends through the whole thickness of the film to the underlying substrate. We use such samples to discuss the resolution of NSOM when imaging thick organic films. Furthermore, we confirm that the length-scales of phase separation can be modified via control over spin-casting protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Chappell
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield S3 7RH, U.K.
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