Themed collection Celebrating Tobin Marks’ 75th Birthday
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Tobin Marks’ 75th birthday. A celebration of a career devoted to materials chemistry
Guest editors Antonio Facchetti, Hui Huang, He Yan and Rocio Ponce Ortiz introduce this Journal of Materials Chemistry C issue commemorating the 75th birthday of Professor Tobin Marks.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 14979-14982
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC90215B
Organic materials as a passivation layer for metal oxide semiconductors
This highlight reviews the recent studies on organic passivation for the stability enhancement of oxide thin-film transistors.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 14983-14995
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC02379E
Advances and opportunities in development of deformable organic electrochemical transistors
Unlocking deformability in organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) is critical for their integration into wearable or implantable electronics, necessitating technological advances at the component and transistor levels.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15067-15078
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03118F
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2,3-Thienoimide-ended oligothiophenes as ambipolar semiconductors for multifunctional single-layer light-emitting transistors
In view of developing multifunctional OLETs, 2,3-thienoimide-ended oligothiophenes are proposed as ideal candidates to effectively ensure good ambipolar field-effect mobility, self-assembly capability and high luminescence in solid state.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15048-15066
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03326J
Optoelectronic functional fibers: materials, fabrication, and application for smart textiles
This review presents the recent advances of optoelectronic functional fibers in material selection, fabrication, as well as applications in energy conversion, photoelectric sensing, and logical response.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2021,9, 439-455
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03983G
High-performance organic second- and third-order nonlinear optical materials for ultrafast information processing
The review reports the recent progress in organic second-order and third-order nonlinear optical materials in the Jen group.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15009-15026
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03224G
Green solvent-processed organic electronic devices
A review on the recent efforts to select green solvents for processing organic semiconductors for thin film transistors (TFT) and organic photovoltaics (OPV) applications. A guide for the safe fabrication of high-performance devices.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15027-15047
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03610B
Molecular doped organic semiconductor crystals for optoelectronic device applications
In this review, we give a timely summary of the current progress of molecular doped organic semiconductor single crystals in terms of material selection, crystal growth, resulting properties and device applications.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 14996-15008
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC02746D
Permalloy/polydimethylsiloxane nanocomposite inks for multimaterial direct ink writing of gigahertz electromagnetic structures
The multimaterials printing procedure of solenoidal inductor with a magnetic core.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15099-15104
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03244A
Thermal-induced interface degradation in perovskite light-emitting diodes
The poor operational stability remains a key challenge in perovskite light-emitting diodes. In this work, we investigate the detrimental effects of thermal-induced interface degradation on the device performance of perovskite light-emitting diodes.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15079-15085
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03816D
Elucidating charge transport mechanisms in cellulose-stabilized graphene inks
Thin-films derived from solution-processed graphene inks that use ethyl cellulose as a polymer stabilizer show mixed metallic-semiconducting charge transport with high charge carrier mobility.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15086-15091
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03309J
Customizable and stretchable fibre-shaped electroluminescent devices via mulitcore-shell direct ink writing
A novel multicore-shell direct ink writing is proposed to fabricate stretchable fiber-shaped ACEL devices with tunable architectures and light emissions.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15092-15098
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03078C
Molecular doping of near-infrared organic photodetectors for photoplethysmogram sensors
This study introduces three different molecular dopants for near-infrared organic photodetectors. The doped organic photodetectors exhibit low dark current, high detectivity and good environmental stability, and can be used for pulse rate monitoring.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2021,9, 3129-3135
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC05549B
Coronene derivatives for transparent organic photovoltaics through inverse materials design
To accelerate materials discovery, computational methods such as inverse materials design, are used to design UV-absorbing coronene based derivatives that, following synthesis achieve high open-circuit voltages and visible transparencies.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2021,9, 1310-1317
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC05092J
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Ring fusion in tetrathienylethene cored perylene diimide tetramers affords acceptors with strong and broad absorption in the near-UV to visible region
Two PDI tetramers with a central tetrathienylethene core were investigated as non-fullerene acceptors in organic photovoltaics and the dramatic differences in their optical absorption spectra were rationalised on the basis of DFT calculations.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 17237-17244
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC04110F
Investigating the active layer thickness dependence of non-fullerene organic solar cells based on PM7 derivatives
This work exposes the importance of testing a polymers active layer thickness tolerance as small modifications to a polymers structure can radically change its ability to stack/pack in the BHJ which is reflected in thick active layer OSCs.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15459-15469
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03096A
Quinoidal thioalkyl-substituted bithiophene small molecule semiconductors for n-type organic field effect transistors
Solution-processable dicyanomethylene end-capped bithiophene quinoidal organic semiconductors with four inserted thioalkyl side chains exhibit an electron mobility of 0.18 cm2 V−1 s−1 with excellent ambient and operational stability.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15450-15458
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03808C
Towards highly conducting bicarbazole redox polymer films with plateau-like conductivities
Chemical doping of bicarbazole redox polymer films leads to plateau-conductivities up to 2 × 10−2 S cm−1. The stability due to crosslinking and the transparency make them e.g. suitable as hole-transport layers in organic opto-electronic devices.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15393-15405
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03090B
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Effect of main and side chain chlorination on the photovoltaic properties of benzodithiophene-alt-benzotriazole polymers
Introduction of chlorine in the conjugated side chains significantly improves open-circuit voltage and power conversion efficiency, benefiting from a lower HOMO energy level, well-balanced charge transport and superior nanoscale morphology.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15426-15435
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03095C
Hydrogen doping in wide-bandgap amorphous In–Ga–O semiconductors
Microscopic mechanisms of the formation of H defects and their role in passivation of under-coordinated atoms, short- and long-range structural transformations, and the resulting electronic properties of amorphous In–Ga–O with In : Ga = 6 : 4 are investigated using computationally-intensive ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and accurate density-functional calculations.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15436-15449
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03370G
High-density polyethylene—an inert additive with stabilizing effects on organic field-effect transistors
The employment of binary blends comprising the insulating polymer HDPE in combination with hole- and electron-transporting organic semiconductors enables fabrication of OTFTs of notably improved device stability and performance.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15406-15415
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03173A
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In silico design of 2D polymers containing truxene-based platforms: insights into their structural and electronic properties
A total of 27 different 2D truxene-based polymers were theoretically investigated. Our results provide interesting guidelines to design novel 2D materials with applications ranging from sensing to photocatalysis or electronics.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15416-15425
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03139A
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Photochromism in Ruddlesden–Popper copper-based perovskites: a light-induced change of coordination number at the surface
Ultraviolet light causes bis(phenethylammonium) tetrachlorocuprate to change color from yellow to brown, which is reversible by exposure to air.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15377-15384
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03359F
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Selection of the two enantiotropic polymorphs of diF-TES-ADT in solution sheared thin film transistors
The modulation of the deposition speed in blends of diF-TES-ADT and polystyrene controls the formation of either the low-temperature or the high-temperature polymorph.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15361-15367
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03222K
Direct arylation polycondensed conjugated polyelectrolytes as universal electron transport layers for highly efficient polymer solar cells
We demonstrate a series of direct arylation polycondensed conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) for application in universal and thickness-insensitive electron transport materials (ETMs) of highly efficient polymer solar cells (PSCs).
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15158-15167
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03066J
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Impact of p-type doping on charge transport in blade-coated small-molecule:polymer blend transistors
Blade-coating is used to fabricate high hole mobility organic transistors based on a p-doped small-molecule:polymer blend semiconductor.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15368-15376
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03094E
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Printed, cost-effective and stable poly(3-hexylthiophene) electrolyte-gated field-effect transistors
A large-area processable ink-jet-printed poly(3-hexylthiophene) electrolyte-gated field-effect transistor, designed for bioelectronic applications, is proven to be stable for one week of continuous operation.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15312-15321
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03342A
Charge transport and mobility relaxation in organic bulk heterojunction morphologies derived from electron tomography measurements
The tortuosity of a bulk heterojunction domain network causes electric-field-induced dispersion that can significantly prolong the mobility relaxation dynamics relative to a homogenous neat material.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15339-15350
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03087B
The post-treatment effects on open circuit voltages and device performances in a high efficiency all-small-molecule organic solar cell
Post-treatment effects on open circuit voltages and device performances in a novel high efficiency all-small-molecule OSC were deeply investigated.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15385-15392
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03043K
Engineering functionalized low LUMO [1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophenes (BTBTs): unusual molecular and charge transport properties
A unique molecular library of functionalized low LUMO BTBT semiconductors was developed and studied in detail to reveal key design principles for electron transport in DAcTTs.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15253-15267
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC02945A
Collective and individual impacts of the cascade doping of alkali cations in perovskite single crystals
Diversified occupants at the A-site (Cs, Rb) will improve the intrinsic properties of the FAMA-based perovskite single crystals, while additional interstitials such as K will degrade the materials properties.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15351-15360
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03085F
A low boiling-point and low-cost fluorinated additive improves the efficiency and stability of organic solar cells
Low boiling-point and low-cost 1,4-difluorobenzene was used as solvent additive to optimize the power conversion efficiency and stability of organic solar cells.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15296-15302
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03217D
Ultraflexible all-organic complementary transistors and inverters based on printed polymers
Crumpable electronics based on printed polymer semiconductors is demonstrated, with the additional features of being fully organic and semi-transparent.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15331-15338
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03064C
Metal-free efficient dye-sensitized solar cells based on thioalkylated bithiophenyl organic dyes
A series of new metal-free organic dyes based on 3,3′-dithioalkyl-2,2′-bithiophene (SBT) organic chromophores was synthesized for use in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs).
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15322-15330
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC02310H
Charge generation mechanism tuned via film morphology in small molecule bulk-heterojunction photovoltaic materials
Exciton evolution with PC61BM loading in small molecule BHJ layers revealed by GIWAXS and ultrafast optical transient absorption spectroscopy.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15234-15252
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03393F
Quinoidal dicyanomethylene-endcapped cyclopentadithiophenes as vacuum-processable n-type semiconductors
A series of new quinoidal cyclopentadithiophene-based vacuum-processable n-type semiconductors were synthesized and characterized, followed by their successful application in organic thin-film transistors and initial studies in organic solar cells.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15303-15311
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC02988B
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The effect of aromatic ring size in electron deficient semiconducting polymers for n-type organic thermoelectrics
N-type semiconducting polymers have been recently utilized in thermoelectric devices, however they have typically exhibited low electrical conductivities and poor device stability, in contrast to p-type semiconductors, which have been much higher performing.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15150-15157
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03347B
Effective interplay of donor and acceptor groups for tuning optoelectronic properties in oligothiophene–naphthalimide assemblies
In this work, a series of naphthalimide fused thienopyrazine derivatives was designed in order to efficiently modulate both the energy and topology of the frontier molecular orbitals involved in the charge transport mechanism.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15277-15289
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03026K
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Molecular understanding of a π-conjugated polymer/solid-state ionic liquid complex as a highly sensitive and selective gas sensor
Electric-field driven chemical doping modulation in a solution-processed organic semiconductor and solid-state ionic liquid blend in response to volatile organic compounds provides an exciting opportunity to facilitate low-power chemical gas sensors.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15268-15276
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03093G
Large-area printed low-voltage organic thin film transistors via minimal-solution bar-coating
Large-area printed low-voltage organic thin film transistors are fabricated with the bar-coating of minimal solutions of cross-linked dielectric and organic semiconductor.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15112-15118
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03089A
Simultaneous and visual detection of cysteamine based on Michael addition reaction with polydiacetylene liposomes
A highly sensitive colorimetric and fluorometric sensor comprising self-assembled polydiacetylene (PDA) liposomes for the measurement of cysteamine concentration.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15290-15295
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC02721A
Atom vacancies and electronic transmission Stark effects in boron nanoflake junctions
A new type of Stark effect was observed in the electronic transmission as a function of voltage bias for vacancy-specific boron nanoflakes.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15208-15218
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03116J
C70-based aqueous-soluble fullerene for the water composition-tolerant performance of eco-friendly polymer solar cells
Our work highlights the development of eco-PSCs based on newly developed C70-based water/alcohol soluble fullerene with enhanced light absorption, aggregation properties and highly solvent composition-tolerant eco-friendly solvent processes.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15224-15233
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03049J
Correlating structural changes with the photophysics of terrylenediimide films during spontaneous annealing
Films of consisting of a rigid extended aromatic surface and long alkyl chains to undergo structural rearrangement at room temperature. The slow timescale allows us to monitor the relationship of structure and photophysical behavior.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15189-15198
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC02814B
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Fermi level pinned molecular donor/acceptor junctions: reduction of induced carrier density by interfacial charge transfer complexes
Charge transfer complex (CPX) formation at a donor–acceptor interface reduces the amount of Fermi-level pinning induced interfacial charge transfer.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15199-15207
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC02774J
Tuning the charge blocking layer to enhance photomultiplication in organic shortwave infrared photodetectors
This work investigates a series of interfacial materials to understand how charge-blocking layers facilitate trap-assisted photomultiplication in organic infrared detectors.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15142-15149
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC03013A
Stretchable transparent conductive elastomers for skin-integrated electronics
Electrodes with good mechanical and electrical properties serve as the key component for realizing high-performance flexible electronics.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15105-15111
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC02913K
High-resolution organic field-effect transistors manufactured by electrohydrodynamic inkjet printing of doped electrodes
A top-contact, sub-5 μm resolution OFET is realized using inkjet printed electrodes with different F4-TCNQ doping concentrations.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15219-15223
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC02508A
Small-molecule electrolytes with different ionic functionalities as a cathode buffer layer for polymer solar cells
Small-molecule electrolytes were designed and synthesized as the cathode interlayer in inverted polymer solar cells.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15183-15188
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC02513E
A privileged ternary blend enabling non-fullerene organic photovoltaics with over 14% efficiency
Two non-fullerene small molecule acceptors, NT-4F and NT-4Cl, were designed and synthesized. Power conversion efficiencies of 11.44% and 14.55% were achieved for NT-4Cl-based binary and ternary devices, respectively.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15135-15141
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC02778B
Design of narrow bandgap non-fullerene acceptors for photovoltaic applications and investigation of non-geminate recombination dynamics
A new narrow bandgap non-fullerene electron acceptor was designed, synthesized, and characterized for near-infrared organic photovoltaics.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15175-15182
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC02136A
Methoxylation of quinoidal bithiophene as a single regioisomer building block for narrow-bandgap conjugated polymers and high-performance organic field-effect transistors
Methoxyl group was introduced to obtain isomer-free methoxylation quinoidal bithiophene building block. Four polymers displayed narrow bandgap (<1.20 eV) and hole mobility of up to 2.70 cm2 V−1 s−1.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15168-15174
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC02199G
Effects of alkoxylation position on fused-ring electron acceptors
Four fused-ring electron acceptors composed of the same core and end groups without or with hexyloxyl groups on the core and/or phenyl side chains are compared to systematically study the effects of alkoxylation position on the molecular packing, optical, electronic, and photovoltaic properties of the nonfullerene acceptors.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15128-15134
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC02158J
“Heavy-atom effects” in the parent [1]benzochalcogenopheno[3,2-b][1]benzochalcogenophene system
Effects of the chalcogen atoms in [1]benzochalcogenopheno[3,2-b][1]benzochalcogenophenes (BXBXs), the key π-conjugated core structures in the development of superior organic semiconductors, are investigated.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 15119-15127
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC01408G
Side chain engineering of polymer acceptors for all-polymer solar cells with enhanced efficiency
Side chain engineering of fused bithiophene imide oligomers yields a new series of random copolymers with tunable polymer chain packing and film morphology. When applied in all-polymer solar cells, an 8.32% efficiency is obtained.
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2020,8, 4012-4020
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TC00087F
About this collection
We are pleased to introduce you to this collection from Journal of Materials Chemistry C to celebrate the 75th birthday of Professor Tobin Jay Marks of Northwestern University.
Tobin has had a tremendous impact both as a scientist and as a teacher. With respect to contributions to materials science, in addition to other disciplines, he has influenced multiple aspects of the chemistry of organic, inorganic, and hybrid materials for photonic and electronic applications. He also greatly impacted students from all around the world as a teacher and mentor of science at the postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate levels. Furthermore, he has also served the research community through his long-standing role as an editor of several journals.
We hope you enjoy reading this collection of papers in Journal of Materials Chemistry C in celebration of Tobin Marks’ 75th Birthday.