The influence of the organic/inorganic interface on the organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells

Organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and (6,6)-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) hybridized with ZnO nanorods were fabricated by growing vertical ZnO nanorods on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates and filling with bulk heterojunction polymers (P3HT:PCBM). The interface between the organic and inorganic nanostructures influences the performance of the organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells. In this paper, the influence of the state of the P3HT:PCBM/ZnO interface on the performance of organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells is examined. The solar cell performance was high when the P3HT:PCBM/ZnO junction area was large. The charge separation is effective when the active layer/electron transport layer junction area is large, resulting in increasing photocurrent and a high conversion efficiency. The bulk-heterojunction polymer concentration was kept low to infiltrate into the ZnO nanorods, resulting in a large active layer/electron transport layer junction area.     

Luminescence mechanisms of organic/inorganic hybrid organic light-emitting devices fabricated utilizing a Zn2SiO4:Mn color-conversion layer

Zn₂SiO₄:Mn phosphor layers used in this study were synthesized by using the sol-gel method and printed on the glass substrates by using a vehicle solution and a heating process. Organic/inorganic hybrid organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) utilizing a Zn₂SiO₄:Mn color-conversion layer were fabricated. X-ray diffraction data for the synthesized Zn₂SiO₄:Mn phosphor films showed that the Zn ions in the phosphor were substituted into Mn ions. The electroluminescence (EL) spectrum of the deep blue OLEDs showed that a dominant peak at 461 nm appeared. The photoluminescence spectrum for the Zn₂SiO₄:Mn phosphor layer by using a 470 nm excitation source showed that a dominant peak at 527 nm appeared, which originated from the ⁴T₁-⁶A₁ transitions of Mn ions. The appearance of the peak around 527 nm of the EL spectra for the OLEDs fabricated utilizing a Zn₂SiO₄:Mn phosphor layer demonstrated that the emitted blue color from the deep blue OLEDs was converted into a green color due to the existence of the color-conversion layer. The luminescence mechanisms of organic/inorganic hybrid OLEDs fabricated utilizing a Zn₂SiO₄:Mn color-conversion layer are described on the basis of the EL and PL spectra.     

Mesoscopic 2-D ordering of inorganic/organic hybrid materials

Organic–inorganic hybrid materials with micronsized (i.e., mesoscopic) network structures are expected to have interesting properties and applications in various fields, such as separation, catalysis, biomineralization, or quantum optics. Here a new method is introduced to produce thin films of two-dimensionally ordered honeycomb structures. Casting a chloroform solution of a mixture of organic amphiphiles with metal acetylacetonates or -alkoxides at high atmospheric humidity leads to the formation of a closely packed layer of water droplets on top of the organic solvent. The water acts as a template, After evaporation of the chloroform and the water, a honeycomb structure remains. Pyrolysis of the metal alkoxides films lead to the formation of microporous metal oxide (e.g., anatase, one of the catalytic active titanium oxides).     

新型POSS基有机/无机杂化分子发光材料的制备及聚集效应研究

有机发光材料在电致发光与显示器件领域有着非常广泛的应用。以具有高荧光量子产率的长共轭芴类衍生物2-乙炔基-7-(4-(4-甲氧基苯乙烯基)苯乙烯基)-9,9-二辛基芴(EMOF)和POSS(T8H8)为原料,通过硅氢化反应制备了POSS基有机/无机杂化分子发光材料(EMOF-POSS),并用FT-IR、1H-NMR和13C-NMR对其结构进行了表征。通过紫外-可见和荧光光谱研究了EMOF和EMOF-POSS在不同比例的THF/H2O混合溶剂中的聚集效应,并对两者的热性能进行了测试。结果表明,EMOF-POSS不仅具有较好的热稳定性,而且有效地降低了荧光生色团的聚集,从而提高了材料的荧光量子产率(ΦFL)和发光性能。     

有机生色团掺杂有机／无机复合基质非线性光学材料的制备与性能

以4-[乙基-（2-羟乙基）胺]-4’-硝基偶氮苯（DRl）为生色团，甲基丙烯酸甲酯（MMA）和正硅酸乙酯frEOS）为先体，通过原位溶胶-凝胶技术制备了新型的以PMMA／SiO2复合材料为掺杂基质的二阶非线性光学杂化材料，并运用提拉法在洁净的ITO导电玻璃上制备出均匀、透明的厚度为1μm左右的杂化薄膜。DSC测得杂化材料的玻璃化转变温度为130℃；二次谐波产生（SHG）测量结果表明杂化薄膜在电晕极化后二阶非线性系数d33为1．02×10^7esu；用UV-vis光谱对杂化膜在极化前后的取向和取向稳定性进行的研究表明此材料具有较高的取向度，且常温下的取向稳定性也较好，60d后取向序参数φ仍有初始值的85％。     

Prepare organic/inorganic hybrid nonlinear optical material containing two-dimensional spindle-type chromophores

In this paper, functionalized alkoxysilane dye (ICTES-STC) was formed by the reaction of two-dimensional spindle-type chromophores (STC) with 3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane (ICTES). The transparent films having silica network matrix and covalently bonded chromophores were fabricated via the sol-gel process. From TGA thermogram, the initial decomposition temperature of the hybrid film was determined to be 269 °C. The electro-optic (EO) coefficient (r₃₃) of the poled films was measured to be around 12 pm/V by Teng-Man technique. The thermal stability of the NLO coefficient of the film was investigated by the depoling experiment and temporal decay test, and the result showed that the hybrid film had a good thermal stability, implying its potential applications for EO devices.     

Layered inorganic/organic mercaptopropyl pendant chain hybrid for chelating heavy cations

Heavy metal sorbents with uptake capacities for divalent cadmium and lead cation removal from aqueous solutions have been synthesized by grafting mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane onto the surface of two different precursors obtained from lamellar ilerite, its acidic and the cetyltrimethylammonium exchanged forms. The organofunctionalization was carried out by two different procedures: reflux and solvent evaporation methodologies. Elemental analysis data based on carbon content gave 1.37 and 3.53 mmol of organic pendant groups per gram of hybrid by the reflux method, when starting from acidic ilerite and the surfactant form. X-ray diffraction corroborated the maintenance of the original crystallinity. Infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance for ²⁹Si and ¹³C nuclei are in agreement with the success of the proposed method. The sulfur basic centers attached to the lamellar structure are used to coordinate both cations at the solid/liquid interface. The isotherms were obtained through the batchwise process and the experimental data were adjusted to the Freundlich model. The maximum sorption capacities of 5.55 and 5.12 mmol g⁻¹ for lead and 6.10 and 7.10 mmol g⁻¹ for cadmium were obtained for organofunctionalized ilerite and its surfactant form, synthesized by reflux methodology. This behavior suggested that these hybrids could be employed as promising sorbents with a polluted system.     

Crystallization behavior of PA6/SiO2 organic–inorganic hybrid material

Poly 2-hydroxy propylmethacrylate-methyl methacrylate/SiO₂ (PHPMA-MMA/SiO₂), an active composite was used to synthesize polyamide-6/SiO₂ (PA6/SiO₂) organic–inorganic hybrid materials via blending method. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) results showed that the addition of PHPMA-MMA/SiO₂ composite induced PA6 to transit from α to γ crystal form. The nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of PA6 and PA6/SiO₂ hybrid materials was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Jeziorny method derived from Avrami analysis and a method developed by Liu were employed to describe the nonisothermal crystallization process of PA6 and PA6/SiO₂ hybrid materials. Based on our experimental data, if the relative degree of crystallinity was approximately 60% or more, the Jeziorny method was not valid to describe the nonisothermal crystallization process, while Liu method was successful to describe the whole nonisothermal crystallization process. When X(t) was below about 60%, the crystallization rates of PA6 and PA6/SiO₂ hybrid materials were very approximate, but when X(t) was approximately 60% or more, the crystallization rate of PA6 was quicker than that of PA6/SiO₂ hybrid materials. Moreover, the addition of PHPMA-MMA/SiO₂ composite decreased the crystallization activation energy ΔE calculated by Kissinger equation because of the γ transition.     

A novel hybrid organic/inorganic photonic crystal slab showing a resonance action at the band edge

Here we propose and experimentally demonstrate a hybrid photonic crystal (PC) slab consisting of air rods in a nanocomposite prepared by incorporating CdSe/CdS core/shell NRs (NR) in a polymer. Since the styrene methyl acrylate based polymer (ZEP) is transparent in the visible spectral range and is an electron-sensitive material, it was chosen as the embedding matrix for the NRs. Scanning electron microscopy and luminance measurements were used to characterize the experimental structure. The vertical extraction of the light, by the coupling of the modes guided by the PC slab to the free radiation via Bragg scattering, consists of a narrow orange emission band at 592 nm with a full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 17 nm. The original characteristics of hybrid materials based on polymers and colloidal NRs, able to combine the unique optical properties of the inorganic moiety with the processability of the host matrix, are extremely appealing in view of their technological impact on the development of new high performing optical devices such as organic light-emitting diodes, ultra-low threshold lasers and non-linear devices.     

Highly efficient resonant coupling of optical excitations in hybrid organic/inorganic semiconductor nanostructures

The integration of organic and inorganic semiconductors on the nanoscale offers the possibility of developing new photonic devices that combine the best features of these two distinct classes of material. Such devices could, for example, benefit from the large oscillator strengths found in organic materials and the nonlinear optical properties of inorganic species. Here we describe a novel hybrid organic/inorganic nanocomposite in which alternating monolayers of J-aggregates of cyanine dye and crystalline semiconductor quantum dots are grown by a layer-by-layer self-assembly technique. We demonstrate near-field photon-mediated coupling of vastly dissimilar optical excitations in the two materials that can reach efficiencies of up to 98% at room temperature. By varying the size of the quantum dots and thus tuning their optical resonance for absorption and emission, we also show how the ability of J-aggregates to harvest light can be harnessed to increase the effective absorption cross section of the quantum dots by up to a factor of ten. Combining organic and inorganic semiconductors in this way could lead to novel nanoscale designs for light-emitting, photovoltaic and sensor applications.     

Photofunctional terbium centered inorganic/organic hybrid material with the functionalized 5-dihydroxybenzoate linkage

In this study, silica-based organic-inorganic hybrids were prepared using sol-gel methods. A new kind of monomer (DHBA-TESPI) was derived by modifying the double hydroxyl groups of 3, 5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHBA) with 3-(triethoxysilyl)-propyl isocyanate (TESPI) through the addition reaction. Then, the obtained compound and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) were used as the inorganic and organic counterparts respectively. Coordination reaction between Tb³⁺ and the carboxylic groups of the monomer happen simultaneously. IR, NMR, UV/Vis absorption, low-temperature phosphorescence spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy were used to characterize the hybrids. The final materials exhibited strong green-colored fluorescence (Tb³⁺), which can be explained by the intramolecular energy transfer caused by coordination of the organic counterpart. The spectroscopic data also revealed that the triplet state energy of the organic ligand matches the emissive energy level of Tb³⁺.     

Engineering optimization using a real-parameter genetic-algorithm-based hybrid method

A hybrid optimization algorithm which combines the respective merits of the genetic algorithm and the simulated annealing algorithm is proposed. The proposed algorithm incorporates adaptive mechanisms designed to adjust the probabilities of the cross-over and mutation operators such that its hill-climbing ability towards the optimum solution is improved. The algorithm is used to optimize the weight of four planar or space truss structures and the results are compared with those obtained using other well-known optimization schemes. The evaluation trials investigate the performance of the algorithm in optimizing over discrete sizing variables only and over both discrete sizing variables and continuous configuration variables. The results show that the proposed algorithm consistently outperforms the other optimization methods in terms of its weight-saving capabilities. It is also shown that the global searching ability and convergence speed of the proposed algorithm are significantly improved by the inclusion of adaptive mechanisms to adjust the values of the genetic operators. Hence the hybrid algorithm provides an efficient and robust technique for solving engineering design optimization problems.     

氟硅改性丙烯酸酯有机/无机杂化无皂乳液制备及性能表征

以正硅酸乙酯（TEOS）为水解前驱体制得二氧化硅（SiO2）,并通过硅烷偶联剂（KH570）表面改性后,与全氟烷基乙基丙烯酸酯（FM））等乙烯基单体聚合,通过无皂乳液聚合方法制备了氟硅改性丙烯酸酯有机/无机杂化无皂乳液。FT-IR分析表明,TEOS水解为SiO2,并与丙烯酸酯单体、氟单体参与了共聚反应;采用TEM及AFM对乳胶粒的形态结构进行表征,发现乳胶粒分布较为均一,平均粗糙度和致密程度较高;DLS分析表明乳液平均粒径为49.49nm;接触角测试表明氟单体、硅溶胶及KH570的加入显著提高了涂膜的防水性。     

含硅有机/无机纳米杂化材料

综述了由有机硅氧烷制备有机/无机材料的sol gel方法,介绍了由此得到的杂化材料在光电材料、高性能陶瓷和聚合物以及其它功能性材料等方面的应用,并对新的sol gel原料作了展望。     

Synthesis and characterisation of alumina fibres using organic/inorganic composite sol

Abstract

The polyvinyl butyral–Al(NO₃)₃ composite sols and alumina fibres were synthesised by the sol–gel process in an aqueous solution using the polyvinyl butyral (PVB) and Al(NO₃)₃.9H₂O (AN). The viscosity of PVB–AN composite sol increased with increasing AN content and aging time when it was laid at room temperature. The addition of AN leads to the formation of new weak peak and the deviation of diffraction angle to higher degrees according to the X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD). The exothermic peak of PVB disappeared and a weak endothermic peak was observed in differential scanning calorimetry curves of composite powders. The XRD pattern of fibres sintered at 1200°C showed the formation of α-alumina and the fibres showed smooth surface and uniform diameter.     

Single-molecule charge transfer and bonding at an organic/inorganic interface: tetracyanoethylene on noble metals

We have studied the structural and electronic properties of tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) molecules on different noble-metal surfaces using scanning tunneling spectroscopy and density functional theory. Striking differences are observed in the TCNE behavior on Au, Ag, and Cu substrates in the submonolayer limit. We explain our findings by a combination of charge-transfer and lattice-matching properties for TCNE across substrates that results in a strong variation of molecule-molecule and molecule-substrate interactions. These results have significant implications for future organic/inorganic nanoscopic devices incorporating molecule-based magnetism.     

Development of a hybrid inverter through integration of organic and inorganic thin film transistors

In this paper, complementary thin-film transistor (TFT) inverter is fabricated with organic-inorganic hybrid channels. By adopting p-channel pentacene and n-channel ZnO, we have fabricated a device of hybrid complementary TFT inverter by using same electrode in organic-inorganic hybrid channels. To be accomplished Ohmic-contact in organic-inorganic hybrid channels, we adapted to n-channel staggered TFT and p-channel coplanar TFT. In results, a hybrid inverter built through integration of organic and inorganic TFT shows that the typical inverter response to stage switching is clearly observed between 0 and 40 V, for both input directions, displaying a high voltage gain — (dV_OUT/dV_IN) > 16.