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Abstract
Organic solar cells (OSCs) have long promised to provide renewable energy in a scalable, cost-effective way; however, for years, their relatively low efficiency has been a significant barrier to commercialization. Recent progress on cell efficiency means that OSCs are now much more competitive with other established technologies. These key advancements have come from better understanding and controlling the molecular structure, solid-state packing, and film morphology of the light absorbing layer. This focused review will explore the different ways that the solid-state structure and film morphology of the light absorbing layer can be controlled. It will examine the key features of an efficient light absorbing layer and present guiding principles for creating efficient OSCs. The future directions and remaining research questions of this field will be briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chase L. Radford
- Department of Chemistry, University of Saskatchewan, 110 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5C9, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, University of Saskatchewan, 110 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5C9, Canada
| | - Timothy L. Kelly
- Department of Chemistry, University of Saskatchewan, 110 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5C9, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, University of Saskatchewan, 110 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5C9, Canada
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2
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Omar ÖH, Del Cueto M, Nematiaram T, Troisi A. High-throughput virtual screening for organic electronics: a comparative study of alternative strategies. J Mater Chem C Mater 2021; 9:13557-13583. [PMID: 34745630 PMCID: PMC8515942 DOI: 10.1039/d1tc03256a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
We present a review of the field of high-throughput virtual screening for organic electronics materials focusing on the sequence of methodological choices that determine each virtual screening protocol. These choices are present in all high-throughput virtual screenings and addressing them systematically will lead to optimised workflows and improve their applicability. We consider the range of properties that can be computed and illustrate how their accuracy can be determined depending on the quality and size of the experimental datasets. The approaches to generate candidates for virtual screening are also extremely varied and their relative strengths and weaknesses are discussed. The analysis of high-throughput virtual screening is almost never limited to the identification of top candidates and often new patterns and structure-property relations are the most interesting findings of such searches. The review reveals a very dynamic field constantly adapting to match an evolving landscape of applications, methodologies and datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ömer H Omar
- Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool Liverpool L69 3BX UK
| | - Marcos Del Cueto
- Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool Liverpool L69 3BX UK
| | | | - Alessandro Troisi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool Liverpool L69 3BX UK
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3
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Abstract
Effect of dynamics of site energy disorder on charge transport in organic molecular semiconductors is not yet well-established. In order to study the relationship between the dynamics of site energy disorder and charge transport, we have performed a multiscale study on dialkyl substituted thienothiophene capped benzobisthiazole (BDHTT-BBT) and methyl-substituted dicyanovinyl-capped quinquethiophene (DCV5T-Me) molecular solids. In this study, we explore the structural dynamics and correlated charge transport by electronic structure calculations, molecular dynamics, and kinetic Monte-Carlo simulations. We have also proposed the differential entropy dependent diffusion and charge density equations to study the electric field drifted diffusion property and carrier density. In this investigation, we have addressed the transformation mechanism from dynamic to static disorder in the extended stacked molecular units. Here, the decrease in the charge transfer rate due to site energy fluctuations reveals the dispersion transport along the extended π-stacked molecules. Furthermore, the calculated current density for a different set of site energy difference values shows the validity and the limitations of the Einstein relation. Based on the calculated ideality factor, we have classified the charge transport in these molecules as either the Langevin or the Shockley-Read-Hall type mechanism. Through the calculated mobility, current density, and ideality factor analysis, we categorize the applicability of molecules of interest for photovoltaic or light emitting diode applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Navamani
- Theoretical Sciences Unit, School of Advanced Materials (SAMat), Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Swapan K Pati
- Theoretical Sciences Unit, School of Advanced Materials (SAMat), Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India
| | - K Senthilkumar
- Department of Physics, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641046, India
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4
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Abstract
Previous work utilizing crystal polymorphs has established the importance of the molecular packing environment for modulating solid-gas reactivity. Here, we show, for the first time, that the chemical stability of an amorphous material in contact with a reactive gas can be significantly improved by controlling glass packing. We utilize the reaction of indomethacin with ammonia as this system has been well-characterized for crystalline polymorphs. For these experiments, physical vapor deposition (PVD) is used to prepare glasses of indomethacin with a range of densities and thermal stabilities. The indomethacin-ammonia reactivity is assessed through the increase in mass of glassy thin films exposed to ammonia gas, as characterized by a quartz crystal microbalance. Indomethacin glasses vapor-deposited at substrate temperatures below the glass transition temperature (Tg) show unprecedented decrease in reaction rates relative to the liquid-cooled glass, by as much as 1 order of magnitude, with the densest glasses having the slowest reactions. The diminished solubility of ammonia in dense PVD glasses is found to be a major factor in their remarkable chemical stability. As chemically stable amorphous solids are in demand for applications including pharmaceuticals and organic electronics, this work provides a strategy to improve performance of these materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Qiu
- Department of Chemistry , University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison , Wisconsin 53706 , United States
| | - Michael E Bieser
- Department of Chemistry , University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison , Wisconsin 53706 , United States
| | - M D Ediger
- Department of Chemistry , University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison , Wisconsin 53706 , United States
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5
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Smith AR, Thompson IR, Walker AB. Simulating morphologies of organic semiconductors by exploiting low-frequency vibrational modes. J Chem Phys 2019; 150:164115. [DOI: 10.1063/1.5088895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander R. Smith
- Department of Physics, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
| | - Ian R. Thompson
- Department of Physics, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
| | - Alison B. Walker
- Department of Physics, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
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6
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Watanabe Y, Sasabe H, Kido J. Review of Molecular Engineering for Horizontal Molecular Orientation in Organic Light-Emitting Devices. BCSJ 2019. [DOI: 10.1246/bcsj.20180336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yuichiro Watanabe
- Department of Organic Materials Science, Yamagata University, 4-3-16 Jonan, Yonezawa, Yamagata 992-8510, Japan
| | - Hisahiro Sasabe
- Department of Organic Materials Science, Yamagata University, 4-3-16 Jonan, Yonezawa, Yamagata 992-8510, Japan
- Research Center for Organic Electronics (ROEL), Frontier Center for Organic Materials (FROM), Yamagata University, 4-3-16 Jonan, Yonezawa, Yamagata 992-8510, Japan
| | - Junji Kido
- Department of Organic Materials Science, Yamagata University, 4-3-16 Jonan, Yonezawa, Yamagata 992-8510, Japan
- Research Center for Organic Electronics (ROEL), Frontier Center for Organic Materials (FROM), Yamagata University, 4-3-16 Jonan, Yonezawa, Yamagata 992-8510, Japan
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7
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Abstract
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The
performance and key electronic properties of molecular organic
semiconductors are dictated by the interplay between the chemistry
of the molecular core and the intermolecular factors of which manipulation
has inspired both experimentalists and theorists. This Perspective
presents major computational challenges and modern methodological
strategies to advance the field. The discussion ranges from insights
and design principles at the quantum chemical level, in-depth atomistic
modeling based on multiscale protocols, morphological prediction and
characterization as well as energy-property maps involving data-driven
analysis. A personal overview of the past achievements and future
direction is also provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ganna Gryn'ova
- Laboratory for Computational Molecular Design, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering , École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , 1015 Lausanne , Switzerland
| | - Kun-Han Lin
- Laboratory for Computational Molecular Design, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering , École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , 1015 Lausanne , Switzerland.,Laboratory for Computational Molecular Design and National Center for Computational Design and Discovery of Novel Materials (MARVEL) , École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , 1015 Lausanne , Switzerland
| | - Clémence Corminboeuf
- Laboratory for Computational Molecular Design, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering , École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , 1015 Lausanne , Switzerland.,Laboratory for Computational Molecular Design and National Center for Computational Design and Discovery of Novel Materials (MARVEL) , École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , 1015 Lausanne , Switzerland
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Navamani K, Samanta PK, Pati SK. Theoretical modeling of charge transport in triphenylamine–benzimidazole based organic solids for their application as host-materials in phosphorescent OLEDs. RSC Adv 2018; 8:30021-30039. [PMID: 35547290 PMCID: PMC9085285 DOI: 10.1039/c8ra03281e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 08/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The dynamic disorder and electric field effects on charge transport in triphenylamine–benzimidazole based molecular solids have been investigated using electronic structure calculations, molecular dynamics and Monte-Carlo simulations. During the charge propagation, the energy loss of the carrier in each hopping step is monitored by Monte-Carlo simulation. We derive a survival probability correlated momentum–energy distribution for drift-diffusion analysis and we demonstrate the dispersion initiated charge trapping mechanism which is indeed ideal for light emission efficiency via recombination. In the present model, the proposed carrier drift energy–current density expression and Shockley diode current density equation are used to study the current density–voltage characteristics; accordingly the ideality factor (∼1.8–2.0) dictates the deviation of Einstein's classical diffusion–mobility relation (where the ideality factor is unity). The dual mechanism of electric field assisted site energy gap on coherent-like transport and the electric field stretched dispersion on recombination are observed in tris(3′-(1-phenyl-1H-benzimidazole-2-yl)biphenyl-4-yl)amine (TBBI) and tris(4′-(1-phenyl-1H-benzimidazole-2-yl)biphenyl-4-yl)amine (TIBN) molecular systems, which can be used as host materials in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). We find the transport going from coherent to incoherent, due to the conversion mechanism of dynamic to static disorder. This can also be a controlled by applied electric field. By adjusting the applied electric field, film thickness and changing the π-stacked molecular aggregation via substitutions, one can fix the dispersive parameter and accordingly calculate the charge transport properties to design efficient host-materials for photovoltaic and light emitting diode devices. Dynamic disorder and electric field affect the charge (hole and electron) transport in host-materials for OLEDs.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- K. Navamani
- School of Advanced Materials (SAMat)
- Theoretical Sciences Unit
- Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research
- Bangalore 560064
- India
| | - P. K. Samanta
- School of Advanced Materials (SAMat)
- Theoretical Sciences Unit
- Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research
- Bangalore 560064
- India
| | - S. K. Pati
- School of Advanced Materials (SAMat)
- Theoretical Sciences Unit
- Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research
- Bangalore 560064
- India
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