A Study On the Optoelectronic Parameters of Natural Dyes Extracted from Beetroot, Cabbage, Walnut, and Henna for Potential Applications in Organic Electronics.

In this work, the optoelectronic parameters of natural dyes extracted from beetroot, red cabbage, walnut leaves, and henna were comprehensively investigated, namely the optical energy gap (Eg), extinction coefficient (k), refractive index (n), dielectric constant ([Formula: see text], and optical conductivity ([Formula: see text]. Results showed a high refractive index, dielectric constant and optical conductivity ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]) for the dye extracted from red cabbage, while minimum values of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] were obtained for the henna dye. The transition type of the optical absorption of the dyes was found to be a direct allowed transition, which is taken place between the bonding and antibonding molecular energy levels. The reported results herein are essential in revealing the viability of these natural dyes for potential applications in organic electronics, including organic photovoltaics, photodiodes, and sensors.

Synthesis, spectroscopic, electrochemical and photophysical properties of high band gap polymers for potential applications in semi-transparent solar cells.

BACKGROUND: The design of new polymers able to filter the electromagnetic spectrum and absorb distinctly in the UV and high-energy part of visible spectrum is crucial for the development of semi-transparent solar cells. Herein, we report on the synthesis and spectroscopic, electrochemical, and photophysical characteristics of three new polymers, namely (i) Poly(triamterene-co-terephthalate), (ii) Poly[triamterene-co- 3-(2-pyridyl)-5,6-diphenyl-1,2,4-triazine-p,p'-disulfonamide], and (iii) Poly(5-hydroxyindole-2-carboxylate) that might show promise as materials for semi-transparent solar cells. RESULTS: The energy band gap, refractive index, dielectric constant, and optical conductivity of the electron donor polymer, poly(triamterene-co-terephthalate), were determined to be 2.92 eV, 1.56, 2.44 and 2.43 × 104 S cm-1, respectively. The synthesized electron acceptor polymers showed a relatively high refractive index, dielectric constant, and optical conductivity. The presence of a direct allowed transition was confirmed between intermolecular energy bands of the polymers. CONCLUSIONS: The polymers showed relatively high energy gap and deep HOMO levels, making them strong absorbers of photons in the UV region and high energy part of the visible region. The synthesized donor and acceptors performed well relative to P3HT and fullerenes due to the close match of the HOMO and LUMO levels. With further development, the polymers could be viable for use as the active layers of semi-transparent solar cells.

Employment of single-diode model to elucidate the variations in photovoltaic parameters under different electrical and thermal conditions.

In this research work, numerical simulations are performed to correlate the photovoltaic parameters with various internal and external factors influencing the performance of solar cells. Single-diode modeling approach is utilized for this purpose and theoretical investigations are compared with the reported experimental evidences for organic and inorganic solar cells at various electrical and thermal conditions. Electrical parameters include parasitic resistances (Rs and Rp) and ideality factor (n), while thermal parameters can be defined by the cells temperature (T). A comprehensive analysis concerning broad spectral variations in the short circuit current (Isc), open circuit voltage (Voc), fill factor (FF) and efficiency (η) is presented and discussed. It was generally concluded that there exists a good agreement between the simulated results and experimental findings. Nevertheless, the controversial consequence of temperature impact on the performance of organic solar cells necessitates the development of a complementary model which is capable of well simulating the temperature impact on these devices performance.

Compositional engineering of VOPcPhO-TiO2 nano-composite to reduce the absolute threshold value of humidity sensors.

This research work demonstrates compositional engineering of an organic-inorganic hybrid nano-composites for modifying absolute threshold of humidity sensors. Vanadyl-2,9,16,23-tetraphenoxy-29H,31H-phthalocyanine (VOPcPhO), an organic semiconductor, doped with Titanium-dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) has been employed to fabricate humidity sensors. The morphology of the VOPcPhO:TiO2 nano-composite films has been analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The sensors have been examined over a wide range of relative humidity i.e. 20-99% RH. The sensor with TiO2 (90nm) shows reduced sensitivity-threshold and improved linearity. The VOPcPhO:TiO2 (90nm) nano-composite film is comprised of uniformly distributed voids which makes the surface more favorable for adsorption of moisture content from environment. The VOPcPhO:TiO2 nano-composite based sensor demonstrates remarkable improvement in the sensing parameter when equated with VOPcPhO sensors.

Significantly improved photovoltaic performance in polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells with graphene oxide /PEDOT:PSS double decked hole transport layer.

This work demonstrates the high performance graphene oxide (GO)/PEDOT:PSS doubled decked hole transport layer (HTL) in the PCDTBT:PC71BM based bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic device. The devices were tested on merits of their power conversion efficiency (PCE), reproducibility, stability and further compared with the devices with individual GO or PEDOT:PSS HTLs. Solar cells employing GO/PEDOT:PSS HTL yielded a PCE of 4.28% as compared to either of individual GO or PEDOT:PSS HTLs where they demonstrated PCEs of 2.77 and 3.57%, respectively. In case of single GO HTL, an inhomogeneous coating of ITO caused the poor performance whereas PEDOT:PSS is known to be hygroscopic and acidic which upon direct contact with ITO reduced the device performance. The improvement in the photovoltaic performance is mainly ascribed to the increased charge carriers mobility, short circuit current, open circuit voltage, fill factor, and decreased series resistance. The well matched work function of GO and PEDOT:PSS is likely to facilitate the charge transportation and an overall reduction in the series resistance. Moreover, GO could effectively block the electrons due to its large band-gap of ~3.6 eV, leading to an increased shunt resistance. In addition, we also observed the improvement in the reproducibility and stability.

Determining the Effect of Centrifugal Force on the Desired Growth and Properties of PCPDTBT as p-Type Nanowires.

In this study, low-bandgap polymer poly{[4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-cyclopenta-(2,1-b;3,4-b')dithiophen]-2,6-diyl-alt-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)-4,7-diyl} (PCPDTBT) nanostructures have been synthesized via a hard nanoporous alumina template of centrifugal process. Centrifuge has been used to infiltrate the PCPDTBT solution into the nanoporous alumina by varying the rotational speeds. The rotational speed of centrifuge is directly proportional to the infiltration force that penetrates into the nanochannels of the template. By varying the rotational speed of centrifuge, different types of PCPDTBT nanostructures are procured. Infiltration force created during the centrifugal process has been found a dominant factor in tuning the morphological, optical, and structural properties of PCPDTBT nanostructures. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images proved the formation of nanotubes and nanowires. The energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscope (EDX) analysis showed that the nanostructures were composed of PCPDTBT with complete dissolution of the template.

A study on the spectroscopic, energy band, and optoelectronic properties of α,ω-dihexylsexithiophene/tris(8-hydroxyquinolinate) gallium blends; DH6T/Gaq3 composite system.

In this work the optical response, spectroscopic behaviour, and optoelectronic properties of solution and solid state composite systems based on α,ω-dihexylsexithiophene/tris(8-hydroxyquinolinate) gallium (DH6T/Gaq3) are studied upon the incorporation of different molar percentages of Gaq3. UV-vis, PL, FTIR spectrophotometers and SEM technique were utilized to perform the investigations. The results showed a reduced energy band (Eg) (from 2.33eV to 1.83eV) and a broadened absorption spectrum for the blend system when 29.8% molar of Gaq3 was incorporated. These were attributed to the enhanced intermolecular interactions that are brought about by the increased strength of π-π overlap between the molecular moieties. A mathematical formula was developed to interpret the non-monotonic change occurred in Eg, while numerical calculations have been made to assign the type and nature of the electronic transitions governing the spectroscopic behaviour of the system. The results were elaborated and comprehensively discussed in terms of the exciton generation, energy band theory, molecular interactions, and spatial geometry.

PFO-DBT:MEH-PPV:PC71BM ternary blend assisted platform as a photodetector.

We present a ternary blend-based bulk heterojunction ITO/PEDOT:PSS/PFO-DBT: MEH-PPV:PC71BM/LiF/Al photodetector. Enhanced optical absorption range of the active film has been achieved by blending two donor components viz. poly[2,7-(9,9-di-octyl-fluorene)-alt-4,7-bis(thiophen-2-yl)benzo-2,1,3-thiadiazole] (PFO-DBT) and poly(2-methoxy-5(2'-ethylhexyloxy) phenylenevinylene (MEH-PPV) along with an acceptor component, i.e., (6,6)-phenyl-C71 hexnoic acid methyl ester. The dependency of the generation rate of free charge carriers in the organic photodetector (OPD) on varied incident optical power density was investigated as a function of different reverse biasing voltages. The photocurrent showed significant enhancement as the intensity of light impinging on active area of OPD is increased. The ratio of Ilight to Idark of fabricated device at -3 V was ~3.5 × 10(4). The dynamic behaviour of the OPD under on/off switching irradiation revealed that sensor exhibits quick response and recovery time of ∼800 ms and 500 ms, respectively. Besides reliability and repeatability in the photoresponse characteristics, the cost-effective and eco-friendly fabrication is the added benefit of the fabricated OPD.

Controlling the morphological, structural, and optical properties of one-dimensional PCDTBT nanotubes by template wetting.

In this study, the synthesis of poly [N-9'-heptadecanyl-2, 7-carbazole-alt-5, 5-(4', 7'-di-2-thienyl-2', 1', 3'-benzothiadiazole)] (PCDTBT) nanotubes via a templating method is reported. PCDTBT nanotubes were successfully grown by immersing the porous alumina template into 15 mg/ml of solution concentration for 2- and 24-h periods and annealed at 50°C. Changes in morphological and optical properties between nanotubes of different infiltration times (2 and 24 h) as well as its thin films are observed. The longer infiltration time of 24 h produced nanotubes with enhanced morphological, structural, and optical properties. Nanotubes that are formed between 2 and 24 h of infiltration show enhancement in absorption, photoluminescence, and shift in Raman peak if compared to their thin films.

A solution-based temperature sensor using the organic compound CuTsPc.

An electrochemical cell using an organic compound, copper (II) phthalocyanine-tetrasulfonic acid tetrasodium salt (CuTsPc,) has been fabricated and investigated as a solution-based temperature sensor. The capacitance and resistance of the ITO/CuTsPc solution/ITO chemical cell has been characterized as a function of temperature in the temperature range of 25-80 °C. A linear response with minimal hysteresis is observed. The fabricated temperature sensor has shown high consistency and sensitive response towards a specific range of temperature values.

Templated growth of PFO-DBT nanorod bundles by spin coating: effect of spin coating rate on the morphological, structural, and optical properties.

In this study, the spin coating of template-assisted method is used to synthesize poly[2,7-(9,9-dioctylfluorene)-alt-4,7-bis(thiophen-2-yl)benzo-2,1,3-thiadiazole] (PFO-DBT) nanorod bundles. The morphological, structural, and optical properties of PFO-DBT nanorod bundles are enhanced by varying the spin coating rate (100, 500, and 1,000 rpm) of the common spin coater. The denser morphological distributions of PFO-DBT nanorod bundles are favorably yielded at the low spin coating rate of 100 rpm, while at high spin coating rate, it is shown otherwise. The auspicious morphologies of highly dense PFO-DBT nanorod bundles are supported by the augmented absorption and photoluminescence.

A humidity sensing organic-inorganic composite for environmental monitoring.

In this paper, we present the effect of varying humidity levels on the electrical parameters and the multi frequency response of the electrical parameters of an organic-inorganic composite (PEPC+NiPc+Cu2O)-based humidity sensor. Silver thin films (thickness ~200 nm) were primarily deposited on plasma cleaned glass substrates by the physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique. A pair of rectangular silver electrodes was formed by patterning silver film through standard optical lithography technique. An active layer of organic-inorganic composite for humidity sensing was later spun coated to cover the separation between the silver electrodes. The electrical characterization of the sensor was performed as a function of relative humidity levels and frequency of the AC input signal. The sensor showed reversible changes in its capacitance with variations in humidity level. The maximum sensitivity ~31.6 pF/%RH at 100 Hz in capacitive mode of operation has been attained. The aim of this study was to increase the sensitivity of the previously reported humidity sensors using PEPC and NiPc, which has been successfully achieved.