Themed collection Recent Open Access Articles

The rise of n-type organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs): from materials to applications.

We review the cooling of charge carriers in metal halide perovskites for the use in hot carrier solar cells.

Solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell components, materials, architectures and interfaces are comprehensively reviewed.

Recent progress in photoresponsive polymers based on three common supramolecular design strategies, namely ionic, hydrogen and halogen bonding, is reviewed.

The merging of the materials science paradigms of liquid crystals and 2D materials promises superb new opportunities for the advancement of the fields of optoelectronics and photonics. In this review, we summarise the development and applications of 2D material liquid crystals for optoelectronics and photonics.

Perspective covering carbazole-containing emitters and hosts for third generation TADF (thermally-activated delayed fluorescence) OLED technology along with computational benchmark studies.

This review addresses recent approaches for atomic layer deposition (ALD) that are closely related to the electrical properties of ultrathin SrTiO₃ and BaTiO₃ films.

We characterise the magnetism of self-assembled Fe_nN nanocrystals, combining core level spectroscopy with first-principles theory. Ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic phases are found, which are magnetically ordered at room temperature.

Self-readsorption of surface ligands completely restores the photoluminescence of CsPbBr₃ quantum dots damaged by excitation light.

[MCl₃(EⁿBu₂)₃] (M = Sb, Bi; E = Se, Te) enable CVD growth of ternary Bi₂(Se_1−xTe_x)₃ and (Bi_1−ySb_y)₂Te₃ thin films with good compositional, structural and morphological control.

Upon doping with sulfonic acids and bistriflimide the polar polythiophene p(g₄2T-T) exhibits a maximum conductivity of 120 S cm⁻¹ and can be hot-pressed into self-standing, flexible films.

A 0D perovskite-related material Cs₃Fe₂Br₉ is shown to have a low bandgap of 1.65 eV and exhibit antiferromagnetic behaviour.

A new heterocoronene-based chromophore was synthesized via a two-step reaction and showed similar photostability to perylenetetracaboxdiimides.

We report the synthesis, photophysics and application of a novel semiconducting polymer as a colour converter for high speed visible light communication.

Electronic structure calculations are used to develop design rules for enhanced electrical conductivity in zeolitic imidazolate frameworks.

Modifications in nanoscale chemical order can tune the magnetic properties of Co₂FeSi_xAl_1−x, indicating disorder as a potential engineering tool.

We report the development of indium oxide (In₂O₃) transistors via a single step laser-induced photochemical conversion process of a sol–gel metal oxide precursor.

Simply “migrating” the aromatic sextet of cata-condensed 2D PAH with the same number of fused benzene rings affords novel organic semiconductors with different properties.

Polymer-stabilized blue phase liquid crystal in-plane switching cell.

Cobalt germanide precipitates indirectly influence the thermoelectric performance of germanium antimony tellurides. They stabilize microstructures as shown by analyses of water-quenched vs. melt-spun and spark plasma sintered samples.

Vaporization of the solid bis(diethyldithiocarbamato)tin(II) into pulsed RF plasma leads to the growth of crystalline, highly conductive SnS nanowalls.

Non-stoichiometry is the key to single-phase layered compounds in the system Mn/Bi/Te, which is essential to evaluate their multifunctional properties.

Rather than donor–acceptor dihedral angles, the TADF performance of DMAC–BZN positional isomers is instead controlled by differences in acceptor strength arising from π-system electron density – along with a through-space dipole interaction.

Proton irradiation typical of detector lifetime in orbit does not change semiconductor chemistry sufficiently through transmutation to alter device performance.

Organic light-emitting diodes combine ultra-thin non-doped emitting layers for simplified and flexible design and charge-transfer-type recombination layers for exciton management.

Flexible, scalable to large areas and low cost fabrication of structurally colored microcavities and plasmonic cavity pixels based on inkjet-printing.

For the first time in perovskite solar cells, phenothiazine has been introduced as a low cost substituent to replace the commonly-used dimethoxydiphenylamine, which constitutes almost 90% of the final cost of hole transport materials.

We report the need for careful selection of anti-solvents for Sn-based perovskite solar cells fabricated through the commonly used anti-solvent method, compared to their Pb-based counterparts.

An understanding of the thin film growth modes of substrate-induced polymorphs allows a deeper insight into the origin of this class of materials.

Nanopatterned porous thin films of bismuth ferrite (BiFeO₃) with porosity perpendicular to the plane are prepared by an evaporation-induced self-assembly methodology using nitrate metal salts and a commercial block copolymer as a structure-directing agent.

We describe the reversible modification of the Au(111) work function by near infrared irradiation with a bistable SAM.

Investigation of the electro(fluoro)chromic properties of PIF8-TAA and its application in inkjet-printed dual-mode displays.

We report a strategy for positively influencing the conformation of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) molecules containing phenothiazine and dibenzothiophene-S,S-dioxide units.

Increased emission through the oxidation of tetrathiafulvalene redox-active centres in star-shaped oligofluorene structures.

Microstructure and point defects are central to thermoelectric performance in vacancy half-Heuslers.

We investigate the single-molecule electrical conductance of alkane rings connected to gold electrodes and demonstrate that their logarithmic conductances are ocillatory functions of length.

Identifying the best ratios of components in ternary blend polymer solar cell could lead to more photostable organic solar cells.

With tunable electronic properties and energy alignments of organic/inorganic components, (AEQT)BX₄ opens up the possibility to theoretically tailor charge separation/recombination.

Ultra-wide range spectral range ellipsometry sheds light on the anomalous optical conductivity of conducting polymers.

The new compounds [Pt(R-C^C*)(P^P)]PF₆ as blue or orange emitters were combined with the red emitter [Pt(bzq)(CN)(CNXyl)] to fabricate two-component WOLEDs and pcWLEDs. They rendered warm white light with optimal CRI and D_uv values and a great range of nominal CCT: 4000 K–2000 K.

Low-cost n-type Mischmetal-filled CoSb₃ skutterudites with elemental filling-fraction separation, prepared at high pressure, exhibit markedly low lattice thermal conductivity.

Compact films and nanorod films of Zn_1−xMg_xO with specific Mg contents were deposited by spray pyrolysis of varyingly composed aqueous solutions

Tuning the polyelectrolyte/hydrophobic-counterion ratio in PEDOTS : DOA complexes allows to control doping, wettability and porosity, thus modulating ionic transport in OECTs.

Luminescence tuning with excellent homogeneity and steadiness of the resulting colour is guaranteed by chemical modification of fluorescent molecular liquid.

Tailored fluorescent solvatochromic test strips and smartphone read-out enable reliable quantitative detection of gasoline adulteration and on-site quality monitoring.

Anchoring a down-converting chromophore to a MOF scaffold enhances the efficiency of the resulting hybrid LED by negating aggregation-induced quenching.

Two ranges of mixed-valence manganese (Mn³⁺/Mn⁴⁺) SrMn_1−xSb_xO₃ solid solution and corresponding magnetic structures were described for the first time.

Modification of ligand-free polymer/CuInS₂ absorber layers led to improved solar cell performance and charge carrier lifetimes.

A volatile high molecular weight organic salt semiconductor is presented, allowing the introduction of physical vapour deposition techniques in cyanine dye salt semiconductors.

Herein, we present a general method to prepare self-standing flexible photoluminescent coatings of controlled opacity for integration into light-emitting diodes (LEDs) employing cost-effective solution-processing methods.

A new family of ionogels for electrochemical devices was developed from a mixture of multifunctional thiols, diacrylate and triethylamine in the presence of ionic liquid using Michael addition chemistry.

Electrospun fibers made of DNA semi-intercalated with a push–pull, luminescent nonlinear pyrazoline derivative are introduced as novel all-optical switches.

High-quality Ga₂O₃ films are obtained by spray pyrolysis from aqueous solutions through optimization of the solution composition and the spraying process parameters.

Ionomer (TPQPCl)/graphite nanoplatelet-coated electrodes are developed as a new sensing platform for amperometric detection of ascorbic acid.

Tris(O-ethylxanthate)bismuth(III) (1) and tris(O-ethylxanthate)antimony(III) (2) were synthesized and used as precursors for the preparation of Bi_2−2xSb_2xS₃ alloys (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1) using melt reactions.

A new consistent interatomic force field for In₂O₃ and SnO₂.

This work highlights the role of PEDOT:PSS composition in determining the efficiency of coupling between ionic and electronic charges.

The first direct synthesis of pure thermochromic VO₂(M) nanoparticles with particle sizes below 50 nm by continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis (CHFS).

An alternative crosslinking concept for the insulation of HVDC power cables that uses click chemistry is presented.

Hybrid fibres consisting of CdSe nanoplatelets in a polymer shell are prepared and charge carrier transport across these structures is proven photoelectrochemically.

The excited state dynamics of conjugated polymers are studied at photon fluences relevant for photovoltaic applications.

In crystals of donor–acceptor helicene molecules, thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) is strongly enhanced by the presence of occluded hexane molecules.

We show that the exciton transport and decay processes in two poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) based semiconducting polymers exhibit distinct temperature dependence based on the energetic disorder of the polymer.

Excimer formation in indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole based host materials is controlled by molecular design and the developed materials are employed in efficient red, green and blue PhOLED devices.

Colloidal materials of tin(II) sulfide (SnS), as a layered semiconductor with a narrow band gap, are emerging as a potential alternative to the more toxic metal chalcogenides (PbS, PbSe, CdS, and CdSe) for various applications such as electronic and optoelectronic devices.

The out-of-equilibrium samples show highest values of figure-of-merit, ZT_max, up to 2.1.

Tuning of photophysical properties by conformational control with dual RT phosphorescence in metal-free organic emitters.

A nanoporous material bearing a high ion density and inherent organic radical character was synthesized by a facile one-pot process, which exhibits photo-, piezo- and chemochromism, driven by the diverse electron transfer processes between the acceptor framework and different electron donors.

New complexes of Zn(II), Pd(II) and Pt(II) with Schiff bases are prepared in a one step reaction and show photophysical properties particularly interesting for applications in optical sensors.

We report results of the luminescence properties of the three garnet type phosphors Ce³⁺-doped Ca₃Sc₂Si₃O₁₂ (CSSO:Ce³⁺), Sr₃Y₂Ge₃O₁₂ (SYG:Ce³⁺) and Y₃Al₅O₁₂ (YAG:Ce³⁺), investigated using optical spectroscopy techniques and vacuum referred binding energy (VRBE) diagram analysis.