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As dipyranylidenes are excellent hole carriers, applications in organic solar cells or organic light emitting diode are envisaged. In the present study, we investigate the morphology of 2, 2′, 6, 6′-tetraphenyl-4, 4′-dipyranylidene (DIPO-Ph4) deposited under vacuum on a silicon nitride (Si3N4) substrate, a paradigmatic system for the study of molecular crystal/inorganic substrate interfaces. Samples with various coating ratios and different thermal treatments were prepared. The films were characterized by atomic force microscopy and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy to gain insight into material growth. The results show a change in orientation at a molecular level depending upon the evaporation conditions. We are now able to tailor an organic layer with a specific molecular orientation and a specific electronic behavior.


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X-ray microscopic investigation of molecular orientation in a hole carrier thin film for organic solar cells

Show Author's information Quentin Arnoux1,2,3( )Benjamin Watts4Sufal Swaraj5François Rochet1,5Ludovic Tortech2,3( )
Laboratoire de Chimie Physique Matière et Rayonnement (LCPMR)UMR 7614, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, ParisF-75005France
Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire (IPCM)UMR 8232, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, ParisF-75005France
Laboratoire d'Innovation en Chimie des Surfaces et Nanosciences (LICSEN)NIMBE, UMR 3685, CEA Saclay, Gif-sur-YvetteF-91191France
Paul Scherrer InstituteVilligen Psi5232Switzerland
ynchrotron SOLEIL, L'Orme des Merisiers, Saint-Aubin, BP 48, Gif-sur-YvetteF-91192France

Abstract

As dipyranylidenes are excellent hole carriers, applications in organic solar cells or organic light emitting diode are envisaged. In the present study, we investigate the morphology of 2, 2′, 6, 6′-tetraphenyl-4, 4′-dipyranylidene (DIPO-Ph4) deposited under vacuum on a silicon nitride (Si3N4) substrate, a paradigmatic system for the study of molecular crystal/inorganic substrate interfaces. Samples with various coating ratios and different thermal treatments were prepared. The films were characterized by atomic force microscopy and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy to gain insight into material growth. The results show a change in orientation at a molecular level depending upon the evaporation conditions. We are now able to tailor an organic layer with a specific molecular orientation and a specific electronic behavior.

Keywords: molecular orientation, organic solar cells, scanning transmission X-ray microscopy, inorganic/organic interface

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Publication history
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Acknowledgements

Publication history

Received: 21 July 2017
Revised: 27 October 2017
Accepted: 02 November 2017
Published: 12 May 2018
Issue date: May 2018

Copyright

© Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2017

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

Q. A. thanks the LABEX MiChem for funding his PhD grant. The authors express their thanks to PolLux beamline (PSI) for their technical support and to HERMES team (SOLEIL) for the great help during the experiments.

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