Solid-State Infrared Upconversion in Perylene Diimides Followed by Direct Electron Injection.

In this contribution we demonstrate a solid-state approach to triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion for application in a solar cell device in which absorption of near-infrared light is followed by direct electron injection into an inorganic substrate. We use time-resolved microwave photoconductivity experiments to study the injection of electrons into the electron-accepting substrate (TiO2) in a trilayer device consisting of a triplet sensitizer (fluorinated zinc phthalocyanine), triplet acceptor (methyl subsituted perylenediimide), and smooth polycrystalline TiO2. Absorption of light at 700 nm leads to the almost quantitative generation of triplet excited states by intersystem crossing. This is followed by Dexter energy transfer to the triplet acceptor layer where triplet annihilation occurs and concludes by injection of an electron into TiO2 from the upconverted singlet excited state.

Supercrystals of CdSe quantum dots with high charge mobility and efficient electron transfer to TiO2.

Thermal annealing of thin films of CdSe/CdS core/shell quantum dots induces superordering of the nanocrystals and a significant reduction of the interparticle spacing. This results in a drastic enhancement of the quantum yield for charge carrier photogeneration and the charge carrier mobility. The mobile electrons have a mobility as high as 0.1 cm(2)/(V x s), which represents an increase of 4 orders of magnitude over non-annealed QD films and exceeds existing literature data on the electron mobility in CdSe quantum dot films. The lifetime of mobile electrons is longer than that of the exciton. A fraction of the mobile electrons gets trapped at levels below the conduction band of the CdSe nanocrystals. These electrons slowly diffuse over 50-300 nm on longer times up to 20 micros and undergo transfer to a TiO2 substrate. The yield for electron injection in TiO2 from both mobile and trapped electrons is found to be >16%.

Tetrahedral n-type materials: efficient quenching of the excitation of p-type polymers in amorphous films.

Tetrahedral naphthalenediimide compound 1 has been synthesized as an example of a new class of amorphous n-type materials, in which the nondirectionality obtained by its shape is decoupled from its optoelectronic properties. 1 forms bicontinuous films with p-type polymers and effectively quenches the excited state, yielding long-lived mobile charge carriers on pulsed illumination.