Themed collection 2016 Journal of Materials Chemistry C Hot Papers

Conjugated polymers with various electron-donor (D) and -acceptor (A) structures present diverse electrochemical, optical–physical and EC properties.

White light-emitting diodes (LEDs), including a blue-chip and yellow-emitting phosphor, are regarded as the new-generation of lighting sources because of their low energy consumption, long lifetime, and environmentally friendliness.

Recent advances in various one-dimensional organic heterojunctions including their synthesis and optoelectronic applications are summarized in this MiniRev article.

In this review, we summarize the recent findings on novel narrow-band red phosphors, the improved color and visual energy properties of these phosphors, and their ability to improve the optical properties of corresponding warm white pc-WLED lightings.

Various far and deep ultraviolet spectroscopic investigations provide a basic understanding of the properties of TiO₂ and promising possibilities for its applications.

The recent developments and trends of electrochromic conjugated polymers and their devices are highlighted in this review.

In this work, we review the progress on the Heusler-based materials with spin-gapless semiconducting behaviour, including half-Heusler compounds, full-Heusler compounds, DO₃-type compounds, and LiMgPdSn-type quaternary Heusler compounds.

In order to manufacture large-scale photonic devices of various dimensions at a low cost, a number of printing-based patterning techniques have been developed.

In this mini review, we describe the significant advancements and future prospects of silicon nanocrystal based sensors.

Macrocyclic oligoarylamines with a variety of arene-bridged patterns and their various features as hole- and spin-containing scaffolds are reviewed.

This review focuses on alkyl length effects on solid-state fluorescence and mechanochromic behaviors, and the purpose is to arouse one's further attention to the alkyl-length effect in the design, synthesis and structure–property investigation of organic optoelectronic materials.

An alternative way to design new luminescent materials based on a site-selected energy transfer mechanism using high precision control of dopants.

A flexible, stretchable and breathable strip-shaped resistive heater textile is designed to demonstrate rapid thermal response and high stability.

Hard templating of metal ferrites in the pores of a mesoporous silica yields nanomaterials with twisting magnetic structures. Using a variety of techniques, we demonstrate mesoporosity of the materials, the influence of calcination temperature on crystallinity and magnetic properties, and weak magnetic anisotropy.

A smart polymer with a high sensitivity to temperature and humidity based on polyacrylamide hydrogel doped with polyiodide was fabricated.

Solution-grown two-dimensional (C₆H₅C₂H₄NH₃)₂PbI₄ perovskites show three distinctive excitonic emissions.

In this study, a novel Mn²⁺-doped wide band gap semiconductor, BaZnOS, demonstrates intense elastico-mechanoluminescence (EML) under pressure and friction, and the intensity of emission peaks is proportional to the applied compressive stress.

Three novel AIEgens with low-lying LUMO energy levels are developed from p–π conjugated 2,5-bis(dimesitylboryl)-3,4-diphenylsiloles.

[(C₆H₁₄)NH₂]₂·CuBr₄ (1), an organic–inorganic hybrid material, undergoes a reversible first-order phase transition around 194 K, triggered by the order–disorder transformation of metal-coordinated halogen atoms.

Large scale (up to 30 μm in lateral size) atomically thin hexagonal ZrS₂ nanoflakes were prepared on traditional substrates (silica, sapphire) through a temperature dependent growth process.

Indolenine-based croconaines are synthesized, their structure and solid state organization are investigated together with their electronic properties in thin-film transistors.

A series of TADF emitters composed of pyrimidine/acridine moieties are developed. The optimized device realized its highest power efficiency of 62 lm W⁻¹, a high external quantum efficiency of 25%, and a low turn-on voltage of 2.8 V with light-blue emission.

New mechanochromic fibers are being continuously fabricated by coating concentrated core–shell microspheres onto elastic polymer fibers with low cost and high efficiency.

High performance near-infrared photodetectors based on ultrathin SnS nanobelts grown via physical vapor deposition, showing a high responsivity of 300 A W⁻¹ and a fast decay time of 7 ms.

Performing thermodynamic calculations using only the expected charge states, excluding others, enables accurate prediction of experimentally measured doping efficiencies and phase diagrams.

AuNC–CNC films demonstrate modulated fluorescence emission and lifetime decay due to the photonic crystal-photoemission coupling effect.

A dual-function optoelectronic device created through an all-solution process to realize both photoelectric conversion and electroluminescence.

A TADF material containing a benzoylpyridine core and two meta carbazolyl groups shows externally switchable emission in the solid states and a high external quantum efficiency of 18.4% when used as a blue dopant in OLEDs.

Single-ion magnet-like behaviour arises from Co^II nodes of a crystalline sponge providing an avenue for the development of lightweight porous magnets.

Solution processed V₂O₅ is used as a replacement for PEDOT:PSS to improve the stability of QLEDs.

Recently, rare earth (RE) ion doped single-phased phosphors, which can emit tunable colors upon single wavelength excitation, have received a great deal of attention, but most of them involve multiple dopants as luminescence centers.

In-plane isotropic charge transport single crystal FET with mobility exceeding 15 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ is obtained, the result is desirable in large-area single-crystal FET arrays.

In this work, we demonstrate a transferrable single crystalline 4H-SiC nanomembrane (SiC NM) released from a SiC-on-insulator (SiCOI) wafer.

This paper illustrates structure–property relationship of organic conjugated molecules in forming NIR-absorbing organic donor/acceptor charge-transfer complex at ground state.

Magnetically assembled nanoparticle coatings modulate the properties and performances of pseudo-spin-valve thin films through nanoparticle–thin film interactions.

Fabrication and innovative characterization of new hazy S:TiO₂–FTO nanocomposites with lower R_s thanks to the conductive S:TiO₂ nanoparticles.

An aggregation-induced emission (AIE) molecule with reversible photochromic properties which can be served as a material for photo-patterning with erasable properties.

A simple strategy to fabricate porous CuO/carbon composites by nitrate impregnation into a MOF template is reported in this study. The obtained CuO/carbon samples show improved impedance matching and excellent microwave absorbing properties.

Synthesis of a new heptacyclic ladder-type di(thienobenzo)fluorene arene and its copolymers with photovoltaic/transistor properties is presented.

Oxygen-free and low resistivity nickel (Ni) thin films are successfully prepared by plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition using nickelocene (NiCp₂) as a metal precursor and ammonia (NH₃) as a reactant.

A kind of solution-processible gallium-doped ZnO nanoparticle is used as a cathode interfacial layer to fabricate polymer solar cells.

KPb₂(PO₃)₅ shows moderate powder SHG intensities which are one half times that of KDP with a UV cut-off edge at 177 nm.

A series of iridophosphors with different oxygen sensitivity has been designed and synthesized for hypoxia imaging by time-resolved luminescence techniques.

Temperature-sensitive and Mn²⁺-location-dependent red emission from (Mn/Zn)–Ga–Sn–S supertetrahedral nanoclusters.

Experimental and computational structure–function study of an organic crystalline photoconductor composed of oppositely charged ionic porphyrins.

A convenient and efficient approach for selective metallization of alumina ceramics via inkjet printing followed by electroless plating was developed.

Electron doping induced half-metallicity and ferromagnetism in a one dimensional Co-dithiolene molecular wire.

A novel orange-yellow-emitting Ca_1.62Eu_0.38Si₅O₃N₆ phosphor was discovered by a single-particle-diagnosis approach for UV, or blue LED driven white-LEDs.

A new low-bandgap polymer electron acceptor based on the double B ← N bridged bipyridine unit is developed for all-polymer solar cells.

The hyper-reflection and humidity-responsive behavior of a bio-inspired cellulose nanocrystal-based nanocomposite photonic film are described.

A combination of nanofibrils and nanoparticles is used to fabricate polymer-based freestanding electrochromic materials which exhibit contrasts >20 in devices.

Transition-metal ion activated solid-state phosphors are of particular interest for the development of LED-based white light sources.

Suppressing noise current while maintaining high quantum efficiency is essential for realizing high-performance photodiodes.

Three D–A–π–A featured organic dyes has been designed for systematic insight into the effect of ethynyl positions on photovoltaic performances. Insertion of triple bond close to anchoring group exhibits better photovoltaic performance with higher open-circuit voltage.

Surface states are utilized for the development of high-performance photodetectors based on individual SnO₂ nanowires. Their photodetectivity strongly depends on externally applied bias voltage and illuminated light intensity.

A UV detector with a high UV-visible rejection ratio achieved by a warped Schottky junction between Cu NWs and ZnO.

Functionalisation with OH groups can tune the optical properties of Graphene oxide quantum dots (GO-QDs). Selective functionalisation of positions with large electron–hole separation offers a strategy to control the optical gap and photoluminescence properties.

The facile synthesis of novel orthogonally arranged Rh(III) porphyrin–aza-BODIPY conjugates is described. The conjugates combine the advantages of the near-IR (NIR) absorption of aza-BODPY dye with the high triplet state of rhodium porphyrins.

S-Chromophores showed larger DFT calculation μβ and red-shifted λ_max which indicated more effective intermolecular charge transfer.

Constructing small molecular AIE luminophores through heterocycle-based core with applications in piezofluorochromism, optical waveguide, and explosive detection.

Translucent CaAlSiN₃:Eu²⁺ ceramic with a unique microstructure shows enhanced thermal stability and high quantum efficiency.

By means of comprehensive first-principles calculations, we investigate the stability, electronic and optical properties of an AlAs/germanene heterostructure.

Green, biodegradable oxide synaptic transistors gated by biopolymer electrolytes were fabricated on a graphene coated PET substrate, mimicking several synaptic functions.

White light emission of composite suspensions is achieved by functionalization of ZrO(FMN) nanoparticles with lanthanide chlorides resulting in core–shell systems and a temperature dependent chromaticity shift.

Nd:KGd(WO₄)₂ nanoparticles were used as luminescent thermometers operating in the biological windows and NIR imaging with high penetration depth.

The electronic and optical properties of a hydrogenated/fluorinated SiC heterobilayer were systematically investigated by using density functional theory calculations.

Variation of the ligand framework in 1,3-substituted zinc-diketonates provides a straightforward way to control size, morphology and electronic properties of semiconducting zinc oxide nanoparticles.

The chemically tuned structural and magnetic properties of dual-phase Co₂NiGa shape memory Heusler nanoparticles.

The charge transport polarity of a series of acceptor–donor–acceptor (A–D–A) conjugated molecules can be tuned from unipolar (n-type) to ambipolar.

Centimeter-scale crack-free opal PC films are prepared in which the latex spheres are bound together through coordination bonds.