The demonstration of colour tunability and high efficiency has brought organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) into the displays and lighting market. However, high production costs due to expensive ...deposition techniques and the use of reactive materials still limit their market entry, highlighting the need for novel concepts. This has driven the research towards the integration of both organic and inorganic materials into devices that benefit from their respective peculiar properties. The most representative example of this tendency is the application of metal oxides in organic optoelectronics. Metal oxides combine properties such as high transparency, good electrical conductivities, tuneable morphology, and the possibility of deposition on large areas with low‐cost techniques. The use of metal oxides as charge injection interfaces in OLEDs has also been investigated. Hybrid organic–inorganic light‐emitting diodes (HyLEDs) are inverted OLEDs that employ air‐stable metal oxides as the charge injection contacts. They are emerging as a potential competitor to standard OLEDs, thanks to their intrinsic air stable electrodes and solution processability, which could result in low‐cost, large area, light‐emitting devices. This article reviews the short history of this class of devices from its first solid state example published in 2006 to the present achievements. The data presented shed light on the electronic mechanism behind the functioning of HyLEDs and give guidelines for their further optimization.
Hybrid organic–inorganic light‐emitting diodes (HyLEDs) employ solution‐processable and air‐stable metal oxides as charge injecting contacts. In this article, the recent achievements in understanding and performance are reviewed, demonstrating the potential of HyLEDs for future lighting and displays applications.
Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(styrenesulfonate),
PSS, has been utilized for over two decades as a stable, solution-processable hole conductor. While its hole transport properties ...have been the subject of intense investigation, recent work has turned to
PSS as a mixed ionic/electronic conductor in applications including bioelectronics, energy storage and management, and soft robotics. Conducting polymers can efficiently transport both holes and ions when sufficiently hydrated, however, little is known about the role of morphology on mixed conduction. Here, we show that bulk ionic and electronic mobilities are simultaneously affected by processing-induced changes in nano- and meso-scale structure in
PSS films. We quantify domain composition, and find that domain purification on addition of dispersion co-solvents limits ion mobility, even while electronic conductivity improves. We show that an optimal morphology allows for the balanced ionic and electronic transport that is critical for prototypical mixed conductor devices. These findings may pave the way for the rational design of polymeric materials and processing routes to enhance devices reliant on mixed conduction.
Electrolyte-gated organic transistors offer low bias operation facilitated by direct contact of the transistor channel with an electrolyte. Their operation mode is generally defined by the ...dimensionality of charge transport, where a field-effect transistor allows for electrostatic charge accumulation at the electrolyte/semiconductor interface, whereas an organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) facilitates penetration of ions into the bulk of the channel, considered a slow process, leading to volumetric doping and electronic transport. Conducting polymer OECTs allow for fast switching and high currents through incorporation of excess, hygroscopic ionic phases, but operate in depletion mode. Here, we show that the use of glycolated side chains on a thiophene backbone can result in accumulation mode OECTs with high currents, transconductance, and sharp subthreshold switching, while maintaining fast switching speeds. Compared with alkylated analogs of the same backbone, the triethylene glycol side chains shift the mode of operation of aqueous electrolyte-gated transistors from interfacial to bulk doping/transport and show complete and reversible electrochromism and high volumetric capacitance at low operating biases. We propose that the glycol side chains facilitate hydration and ion penetration, without compromising electronic mobility, and suggest that this synthetic approach can be used to guide the design of organic mixed conductors.
Studies over the last decade provided evidence that in a dynamic interaction with neurons glial cell astrocytes contribut to fundamental phenomena in the brain. Most of the knowledge on this derives, ...however, from studies monitoring the astrocyte Ca2+ response to glutamate. Whether astrocytes can similarly respond to other neurotransmitters, including the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, is relatively unexplored. By using confocal and two photon laser‐scanning microscopy the astrocyte response to GABA in the mouse somatosensory and temporal cortex was studied. In slices from developing (P15‐20) and adult (P30‐60) mice, it was found that in a subpopulation of astrocytes GABA evoked somatic Ca2+ oscillations. This response was mediated by GABAB receptors and involved both Gi/o protein and inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate (IP3) signalling pathways. In vivo experiments from young adult mice, revealed that also cortical astrocytes in the living brain exibit GABAB receptor‐mediated Ca2+ elevations. At all astrocytic processes tested, local GABA or Baclofen brief applications induced long‐lasting Ca2+ oscillations, suggesting that all astrocytes have the potential to respond to GABA. Finally, in patch‐clamp recordings it was found that Ca2+ oscillations induced by Baclofen evoked astrocytic glutamate release and slow inward currents (SICs) in pyramidal cells from wild type but not IP3R2−/− mice, in which astrocytic GABAB receptor‐mediated Ca2+ elevations are impaired. These data suggest that cortical astrocytes in the mouse brain can sense the activity of GABAergic interneurons and through their specific recruitment contribut to the distinct role played on the cortical network by the different subsets of GABAergic interneurons. GLIA 2016;64:363–373
Main Points
Cortical astrocytes respond to GABA with GABAB receptor‐mediated Ca2+ oscillations in developing and adult mice.
This response recruits Gi/o protein and IP3 signalling pathways and triggers glutamate release which evokes neuronal SICs.
The organic electrochemical transistor (OECT), capable of transducing small ionic fluxes into electronic signals in an aqueous environment, is an ideal device to utilize in bioelectronic ...applications. Currently, most OECTs are fabricated with commercially available conducting poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)-based suspensions and are therefore operated in depletion mode. Here, we present a series of semiconducting polymers designed to elucidate important structure–property guidelines required for accumulation mode OECT operation. We discuss key aspects relating to OECT performance such as ion and hole transport, electrochromic properties, operational voltage, and stability. The demonstration of our molecular design strategy is the fabrication of accumulation mode OECTs that clearly outperform state-of-the-art PEDOT-based devices, and show stability under aqueous operation without the need for formulation additives and cross-linkers.
Hybrid lead halide perovskites are promising materials for future photovoltaics applications. Their spectral response can be readily tuned by controlling the halide composition, while their stability ...is strongly dependent on the film morphology and on the type of organic cation used. Mixed cation and mixed halide systems have led to the most efficient and stable perovskite solar cells reported, so far they are prepared exclusively by solution‐processing. This might be due to the technical difficulties associated with the vacuum deposition from multiple thermal sources, requiring a high level of control over the deposition rate of each precursor during the film formation. In this report, thermal vacuum deposition with multiple sources (3 and 4) is used to prepare for the first time, multications/anions perovskite compounds. These thin‐film absorbers are implemented into fully vacuum deposited solar cells using doped organic semiconductors. A maximum power conversion efficiency of 16% is obtained, with promising device stability. The importance of the control over the film morphology is highlighted, which differs substantially when these compounds are vacuum processed. Avenues to improve the morphology and hence the performance of fully vacuum processed multications/anions perovskite solar cells are proposed.
Multiple‐source (up to 4) thermal vacuum deposition is used to prepare for the first time multications/anions perovskite compounds. These thin‐film absorbers are implemented into fully vacuum deposited solar cells using doped organic semiconductors. A maximum power conversion efficiency of 16% is obtained, with promising device stability.
Trap-assisted recombination, despite being lower as compared with traditional inorganic solar cells, is still the dominant recombination mechanism in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and limits their ...efficiency. We investigate the attributes of the primary trap-assisted recombination channels (grain boundaries and interfaces) and their correlation to defect ions in PSCs. We achieve this by using a validated device model to fit the simulations to the experimental data of efficient vacuum-deposited p–i–n and n–i–p CH3NH3PbI3 solar cells, including the light intensity dependence of the open-circuit voltage and fill factor. We find that, despite the presence of traps at interfaces and grain boundaries (GBs), their neutral (when filled with photogenerated charges) disposition along with the long-lived nature of holes leads to the high performance of PSCs. The sign of the traps (when filled) is of little importance in efficient solar cells with compact morphologies (fused GBs, low trap density). On the other hand, solar cells with noncompact morphologies (open GBs, high trap density) are sensitive to the sign of the traps and hence to the cell preparation methods. Even in the presence of traps at GBs, trap-assisted recombination at interfaces (between the transport layers and the perovskite) is the dominant loss mechanism. We find a direct correlation between the density of traps, the density of mobile ionic defects, and the degree of hysteresis observed in the current–voltage (J–V) characteristics. The presence of defect states or mobile ions not only limits the device performance but also plays a role in the J–V hysteresis.
Efficient monolithic perovskite/perovskite tandem solar cells are fabricated using two perovskite absorbers with complementary bandgaps. By employing doped organic semiconductors, an efficient and ...selective extraction of the charge carriers is ensured. This study demonstrates perovskite/perovskite tandem cells delivering a maximum efficiency of 18%, highlighting the potential of vacuum‐deposited multilayer structures in overcoming the efficiency of single‐junction perovskite devices.
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