Nanostructure and Photovoltaic Potential of Plasmonic Nanofibrous Active Layers.

Autor: Schofield RM; Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PH, UK., Maciejewska BM; Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PH, UK., Elmestekawy KA; Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Clarendon Laboratory, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK., Woolley JM; Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK., Tebbutt GT; Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PH, UK., Danaie M; Electron Physical Science Imaging Centre, Diamond Light Source, Didcot, OX11 0DE, UK., Allen CS; Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PH, UK.; Electron Physical Science Imaging Centre, Diamond Light Source, Didcot, OX11 0DE, UK., Herz LM; Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Clarendon Laboratory, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK., Assender HE; Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PH, UK., Grobert N; Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PH, UK.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) [Small] 2024 Nov 22, pp. e2409269. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Nov 22.
DOI: 10.1002/smll.202409269
Abstrakt: Nanofibrous active layers offer hierarchical control over molecular structure, and the size and distribution of electron donor:acceptor domains, beyond conventional organic photovoltaic architectures. This structure is created by forming donor pathways via electrospinning nanofibers of semiconducting polymer, then infiltrating with an electron acceptor. Electrospinning induces chain and crystallite alignment, resulting in enhanced light-harvesting and charge transport. Here, the charge transport capabilities are predicted, and charge separation and dynamics are evaluated in these active layers, to assess their photovoltaic potential. Through X-ray and electron diffraction, the fiber nanostructure is elucidated, with uniaxial elongation of the electrospinning jet aligning the polymer backbones within crystallites orthogonal to the fiber axis, and amorphous chains parallel. It is revealed that this structure forms when anisotropic crystallites, pre-assembled in solution, become oriented along the fiber- a configuration with high charge transport potential. Competitive dissociation of excitons formed in the photoactive nanofibers is recorded, with 95%+ photoluminescence quenching upon electron acceptor introduction. Transient absorption studies reveal that silver nanoparticle addition to the fibers improves charge generation and/or lifetimes. 1 ns post-excitation, the plasmonic architecture contains 45% more polarons, per exciton formed, than the bulk heterojunction. Therefore, enhanced exciton populations may be successfully translated into additional charge carriers.
(© 2024 The Author(s). Small published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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