Exciton diffusion in organic semiconductors: precision and pitfalls

Abstract

Nanometer exciton diffusion is a fundamental process important in virtually all applications of organic semiconductors. Many measurement techniques have been developed to measure exciton diffusion length (L_D) at the nanometer scale; however, these techniques have common challenges that the community has worked for decades to overcome. In this perspective, we lay out the principal challenges researchers need to overcome to obtain an accurate measurement of L_D. We then examine the most common techniques used to measure L_D with respect to these challenges and describe solutions developed to overcome them. This analysis leads to the suggestion that static quenching techniques underestimate L_D due to uncertainties in the quenching behavior, while time-resolved exciton–exciton annihilation (EEA) techniques overestimate L_D based on experimental conditions, we advance steady-state EEA techniques as an alternative that overcome many of the challenges of these other techniques while preserving accuracy. We support this hypothesis with a meta-analysis of L_D measured across various organic semiconductors and measurement techniques. We intend this investigation to provide a framework for researchers to interpret and compare findings across measurement techniques and to guide researchers on how to obtain the most accurate results for each technique in question.