Shenqiang Ren - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Shenqiang Ren
Scientific Reports, 2015
Biomolecule cytochrome c (Cty c), a small molecule of a chain of amino acids with extraordinary e... more Biomolecule cytochrome c (Cty c), a small molecule of a chain of amino acids with extraordinary electron transport, was helically wrapped around a semiconductive single-wall carbon nanotube (s-SWCNT) to form a molecular building block for uncooled infrared detection with two uniquely designed functionalities: exciton dissociation to free charge carriers at the heterojunction formed on the s-SWCNT/Cty c interface and charge transport along the electron conducting chain of Cty c (acceptor) and hole conducting channel through s-SWCNT (donor). Such a design aims at addressing the long-standing challenges in exciton dissociation and charge transport in an SWCNT network, which have bottlenecked development of photonic SWCNT-based infrared detectors. Using these building blocks, uncooled s-SWCNT/Cyt c thin film infrared detectors were synthesized and shown to have extraordinary photoresponsivity up to 0.77 A W(-1) due to a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) in exceeding 90%, which represents a more than two orders of magnitude enhancement than the best previously reported on CNT-based infrared detectors with EQE of only 1.72%. From a broad perspective, this work on novel s-SWCNT/Cyt c nanohybrid infrared detectors has developed a successful platform of engineered carbon nanotube/biomolecule building blocks with superior properties for optoelectronic applications.
Physical Review B, 2012
Spatiotemporal dynamics of excitons in isolated semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes are... more Spatiotemporal dynamics of excitons in isolated semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes are studied using transient absorption microscopy. Differential reflection and transmission of an 810-nm probe pulse after excitation by a 750-nm pump pulse are measured. We observe a biexponentially decaying signal with a fast time constant of 0.66 ps and a slower time constant of 2.8 ps. Both constants are independent of the pump fluence. By spatially and temporally resolving the differential reflection, we are able to observe a diffusion of excitons, and measure a diffusion coefficient of 200±10 cm 2 /s at room temperature and 300±10 cm 2 /s at lower temperatures of 10 K and 150 K.
ACS Nano, 2012
Carbon materials are excellent candidates for photovoltaic solar cells: they are Earth-abundant, ... more Carbon materials are excellent candidates for photovoltaic solar cells: they are Earth-abundant, possess high optical absorption, and maintain superior thermal and photostability. Here we report on solar cells with active layers made solely of carbon nanomaterials that present the same advantages of conjugated polymer-based solar cells, namely, solution processable, potentially flexible, and chemically tunable, but with increased photostability and the possibility to revert photodegradation. The device active layer composition is optimized using ab initio density functional theory calculations to predict type-II band alignment and Schottky barrier formation. The best device fabricated is composed of PC(70)BM fullerene, semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes, and reduced graphene oxide. This active-layer composition achieves a power conversion efficiency of 1.3%-a record for solar cells based on carbon as the active material-and we calculate efficiency limits of up to 13% for the devices fabricated in this work, comparable to those predicted for polymer solar cells employing PCBM as the acceptor. There is great promise for improving carbon-based solar cells considering the novelty of this type of device, the high photostability, and the availability of a large number of carbon materials with yet untapped potential for photovoltaics. Our results indicate a new strategy for efficient carbon-based, solution-processable, thin film, photostable solar cells.
Nano letters, Jan 4, 2015
Hybrid core-shell nanocrystals, consisting of distinct components, represent an emerging function... more Hybrid core-shell nanocrystals, consisting of distinct components, represent an emerging functional material system, which could facilitate synergistic coupling effects via integrating drastically different functionalities. Here we report a unique strain engineering effect induced by phase transformation between plasmonic core and magnetic shell materials, which leads to a facile surface reconstruction of bimetallic core-shell nanocrystals to enhance their synergistic magnetic and catalytic properties. This advancement dramatically results two orders of magnitude enhancement in magnetic coercivity and significant improvement in catalytic activity. Mechanistic studies involving the kinetic measurement and theoretical modelling uncover a structural distortion and surface rearrangement mechanism during the core-shell phase transformation pathway. This facile methodology could potentially open up the new design of multifunctional artificial hybrid nanostructures by the combination of ph...
ACS Nano, 2015
Room temperature multiferroics has been a frontier research field by manipulating spin-driven fer... more Room temperature multiferroics has been a frontier research field by manipulating spin-driven ferroelectricity or charge-order-driven magnetism. Charge-transfer crystals based on electron donor and acceptor assembly, exhibiting simultaneous spin ordering, are drawing significant interests for the development of all-organic magnetoelectric multiferroics. Here, we report that a remarkable anisotropic magnetization and room temperature multiferroicity can be achieved through assembly of thiophene donor and fullerene acceptor. The crystal motif directs the dimensional and compositional control of charge-transfer networks that could switch magnetization under external stimuli, thereby opening up an attractive class of all-organic nanoferronics.
Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany), Jan 29, 2014
Schematic AuCu/FeCo core-shell magnetic nanoparticles: FeCo shell is precisely synthesized on non... more Schematic AuCu/FeCo core-shell magnetic nanoparticles: FeCo shell is precisely synthesized on non-magnetic AuCu core to form the core/shell nanostructures. Due to the non-magnetic AuCu core, the FeCo shell exhibits a transition from single domain to magnetic vortex state.
Scientific reports, 2013
Iron pyrite (fool's gold, FeS₂) is a promising earth abundant and environmentally benign semi... more Iron pyrite (fool's gold, FeS₂) is a promising earth abundant and environmentally benign semiconductor material that shows promise as a strong and broad absorber for photovoltaics and high energy density cathode material for batteries. However, controlling FeS₂ nanocrystal formation (composition, size, shape, stoichiometry, etc.) and defect mitigation still remains a challenge. These problems represent significant limitations in the ability to control electrical, optical and electrochemical properties to exploit pyrite's full potential for sustainable energy applications. Here, we report a symmetry-defying oriented attachment FeS₂ nanocrystal growth by examining the nanostructure evolution and recrystallization to uncover how the shape, size and defects of FeS₂ nanocrystals changes during growth. It is demonstrated that a well-controlled reaction temperature and annealing time results in polycrystal-to-monocrystal formation and defect annihilation, which correlates with the ...
Scientific reports, 2014
Room temperature magnetic field effects have not been definitively observed in either single-wall... more Room temperature magnetic field effects have not been definitively observed in either single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) or C₆₀ under a small magnetic field due to their weak hyperfine interaction and slight difference of g-factor between positive and negative polarons. Here, we demonstrate charge-transfer induced magnetic field effects in nano-carbon C₆₀-SWCNT bulk heterojunctions at room temperature, where the mechanism of magnetic field effects is verified using excited state transition modeling. By controlling SWCNT concentrations and interfacial interactions, nano-carbon heterojunctions exhibit tunability of charge-transfer density and room temperature magnetoconductance of 2.8% under 100 mT external magnetic field. External stimuli, such as electric field and photoexcitation, also play an important role in controlling the magnetic field effects of nano-carbon heterojunctions, which suggests that these findings could enable the control of optoelectronic properties of nano-...
Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.), 2015
Carbon charge-transfer complexes offer great potential for next generation organic multiferroics.... more Carbon charge-transfer complexes offer great potential for next generation organic multiferroics. On page 734, S. Ren and co-workers demonstrate room temperature magnetoelectric coupling of nanocarbon charge-transfer magnets. In the image magnetic field effects on optoelectronic and dipole properties of nanocarbon complexes are shown, which would be critical for the development of all-organic multifunctional smart devices.
Nanoscale, 2012
We report that self-assembled gold (Au) nanopyramid arrays can greatly enhance the photocurrent o... more We report that self-assembled gold (Au) nanopyramid arrays can greatly enhance the photocurrent of narrow bandgap organic solar cells using their plasmonic near-field effect. The plasmonic enhanced power conversion efficiency exhibited up to 200% increase under the AM 1.5 solar illumination.
Nano Letters, 2011
Quantum dots show great promise for fabrication of hybrid bulk heterojunction solar cells with en... more Quantum dots show great promise for fabrication of hybrid bulk heterojunction solar cells with enhanced power conversion efficiency, yet controlling the morphology and interface structure on the nanometer length scale is challenging. Here, we demonstrate quantum dot-based hybrid solar cells with improved electronic interaction between donor and acceptor components, resulting in significant improvement in short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage. CdS quantum dots were bound onto crystalline P3HT nanowires through solvent-assisted grafting and ligand exchange, leading to controlled organicÀinorganic phase separation and an improved maximum power conversion efficiency of 4.1% under AM 1.5 solar illumination. Our approach can be applied to a wide range of quantum dots and polymer hybrids and is compatible with solution processing, thereby offering a general scheme for improving the efficiency of nanocrystal hybrid solar cells.
Nano Letters, 2011
We demonstrate single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)/P3HT polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells... more We demonstrate single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)/P3HT polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells with an AM1.5 efficiency of 0.72%, significantly higher than previously reported (0.05%). A key step in achieving high efficiency is the utilization of semiconducting SWCNTs coated with an ordered P3HT layer to enhance the charge separation and transport in the device active layer. Electrical characteristics of devices with SWCNT concentrations up to 40 wt % were measured and are shown to be strongly dependent on the SWCNT loading. A maximum open circuit voltage was measured for SWCNT concentration of 3 wt % with a value of 1.04 V, higher than expected based on the interface band alignment. Modeling of the open-circuit voltage suggests that despite the large carrier mobility in SWCNTs device power conversion efficiency is governed by carrier recombination. Optical characterization shows that only SWCNT with diameter of 1.3-1.4 nm can contribute to the photocurrent with internal quantum efficiency up to 26%. Our results advance the fundamental understanding and improve the design of efficient polymer/SWCNTs solar cells.
Nano Letters, 2011
We demonstrate an organic/inorganic solar cell architecture based on a blend of poly(3-hexylthiop... more We demonstrate an organic/inorganic solar cell architecture based on a blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and narrow bandgap GaAs nanowires. The measured increase of device photocurrent with increased nanowire loading is correlated with structural ordering within the active layer that enhances charge transport. Coating the GaAs nanowires with TiO(x) shells passivates nanowire surface states and further improves the photovoltaic performance. We find that the P3HT/nanowire cells yield power conversion efficiencies of 2.36% under white LED illumination for devices containing 50 wt % of TiO(x)-coated GaAs nanowires. Our results constitute important progress for the use of nanowires in large area solution processed hybrid photovoltaic cells and provide insight into the role of structural ordering in the device performance.
Chemical Communications, 2010
A simple and versatile approach was developed to generate hierarchical assemblies of ultra-small ... more A simple and versatile approach was developed to generate hierarchical assemblies of ultra-small gold nanocluster thin films using the combination of galvanic reaction and a block copolymer coordinated with gold complex. Variation of the temperature allows effective control over the optical response of these stimuli-responsive organic-nanocluster hybrid structures.
![Research paper thumbnail of Erratum: “Self-organized two-dimensional onions” [Appl. Phys. Lett. 94, 113507 (2009)]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/40187109/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Applied Physics Letters, 2009
Erratum: "High output power density from GaN-based two-dimensional nanorod light-emitting diode a... more Erratum: "High output power density from GaN-based two-dimensional nanorod light-emitting diode arrays"
Advanced Materials, 2013
A substantial magnetoelectric coupling effect of an excitonic all-conjugated block copolymer mult... more A substantial magnetoelectric coupling effect of an excitonic all-conjugated block copolymer multiferroics consisting of electronically distinct polythiophene derivatives is reported. The observations open new avenues for the multifunctional all-conjugated block copolymer synthesis and electric field tunable multiferroic devices.
Advanced Materials, 2013
High-performance broad-spectrum nanocarbon bulk-heterojunction photovoltaic photodetectors are re... more High-performance broad-spectrum nanocarbon bulk-heterojunction photovoltaic photodetectors are reported. These reported photodetectors consist of a semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotube (s-SWCNT) and a PC71 BM blended active layer. Magnetic-field effects and the chirality of the s-SWCNTs play an important role in controlling the photoresponse time and photocurrent improvement.
ACS Nano, 2012
Carbon materials are excellent candidates for photovoltaic solar cells: they are Earth-abundant, ... more Carbon materials are excellent candidates for photovoltaic solar cells: they are Earth-abundant, possess high optical absorption, and maintain superior thermal and photostability. Here we report on solar cells with active layers made solely of carbon nanomaterials that present the same advantages of conjugated polymer-based solar cells, namely, solution processable, potentially flexible, and chemically tunable, but with increased photostability and the possibility to revert photodegradation. The device active layer composition is optimized using ab initio density functional theory calculations to predict type-II band alignment and Schottky barrier formation. The best device fabricated is composed of PC(70)BM fullerene, semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes, and reduced graphene oxide. This active-layer composition achieves a power conversion efficiency of 1.3%-a record for solar cells based on carbon as the active material-and we calculate efficiency limits of up to 13% for the devices fabricated in this work, comparable to those predicted for polymer solar cells employing PCBM as the acceptor. There is great promise for improving carbon-based solar cells considering the novelty of this type of device, the high photostability, and the availability of a large number of carbon materials with yet untapped potential for photovoltaics. Our results indicate a new strategy for efficient carbon-based, solution-processable, thin film, photostable solar cells.
Scientific Reports, 2015
Biomolecule cytochrome c (Cty c), a small molecule of a chain of amino acids with extraordinary e... more Biomolecule cytochrome c (Cty c), a small molecule of a chain of amino acids with extraordinary electron transport, was helically wrapped around a semiconductive single-wall carbon nanotube (s-SWCNT) to form a molecular building block for uncooled infrared detection with two uniquely designed functionalities: exciton dissociation to free charge carriers at the heterojunction formed on the s-SWCNT/Cty c interface and charge transport along the electron conducting chain of Cty c (acceptor) and hole conducting channel through s-SWCNT (donor). Such a design aims at addressing the long-standing challenges in exciton dissociation and charge transport in an SWCNT network, which have bottlenecked development of photonic SWCNT-based infrared detectors. Using these building blocks, uncooled s-SWCNT/Cyt c thin film infrared detectors were synthesized and shown to have extraordinary photoresponsivity up to 0.77 A W(-1) due to a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) in exceeding 90%, which represents a more than two orders of magnitude enhancement than the best previously reported on CNT-based infrared detectors with EQE of only 1.72%. From a broad perspective, this work on novel s-SWCNT/Cyt c nanohybrid infrared detectors has developed a successful platform of engineered carbon nanotube/biomolecule building blocks with superior properties for optoelectronic applications.
Physical Review B, 2012
Spatiotemporal dynamics of excitons in isolated semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes are... more Spatiotemporal dynamics of excitons in isolated semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes are studied using transient absorption microscopy. Differential reflection and transmission of an 810-nm probe pulse after excitation by a 750-nm pump pulse are measured. We observe a biexponentially decaying signal with a fast time constant of 0.66 ps and a slower time constant of 2.8 ps. Both constants are independent of the pump fluence. By spatially and temporally resolving the differential reflection, we are able to observe a diffusion of excitons, and measure a diffusion coefficient of 200±10 cm 2 /s at room temperature and 300±10 cm 2 /s at lower temperatures of 10 K and 150 K.
ACS Nano, 2012
Carbon materials are excellent candidates for photovoltaic solar cells: they are Earth-abundant, ... more Carbon materials are excellent candidates for photovoltaic solar cells: they are Earth-abundant, possess high optical absorption, and maintain superior thermal and photostability. Here we report on solar cells with active layers made solely of carbon nanomaterials that present the same advantages of conjugated polymer-based solar cells, namely, solution processable, potentially flexible, and chemically tunable, but with increased photostability and the possibility to revert photodegradation. The device active layer composition is optimized using ab initio density functional theory calculations to predict type-II band alignment and Schottky barrier formation. The best device fabricated is composed of PC(70)BM fullerene, semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes, and reduced graphene oxide. This active-layer composition achieves a power conversion efficiency of 1.3%-a record for solar cells based on carbon as the active material-and we calculate efficiency limits of up to 13% for the devices fabricated in this work, comparable to those predicted for polymer solar cells employing PCBM as the acceptor. There is great promise for improving carbon-based solar cells considering the novelty of this type of device, the high photostability, and the availability of a large number of carbon materials with yet untapped potential for photovoltaics. Our results indicate a new strategy for efficient carbon-based, solution-processable, thin film, photostable solar cells.
Nano letters, Jan 4, 2015
Hybrid core-shell nanocrystals, consisting of distinct components, represent an emerging function... more Hybrid core-shell nanocrystals, consisting of distinct components, represent an emerging functional material system, which could facilitate synergistic coupling effects via integrating drastically different functionalities. Here we report a unique strain engineering effect induced by phase transformation between plasmonic core and magnetic shell materials, which leads to a facile surface reconstruction of bimetallic core-shell nanocrystals to enhance their synergistic magnetic and catalytic properties. This advancement dramatically results two orders of magnitude enhancement in magnetic coercivity and significant improvement in catalytic activity. Mechanistic studies involving the kinetic measurement and theoretical modelling uncover a structural distortion and surface rearrangement mechanism during the core-shell phase transformation pathway. This facile methodology could potentially open up the new design of multifunctional artificial hybrid nanostructures by the combination of ph...
ACS Nano, 2015
Room temperature multiferroics has been a frontier research field by manipulating spin-driven fer... more Room temperature multiferroics has been a frontier research field by manipulating spin-driven ferroelectricity or charge-order-driven magnetism. Charge-transfer crystals based on electron donor and acceptor assembly, exhibiting simultaneous spin ordering, are drawing significant interests for the development of all-organic magnetoelectric multiferroics. Here, we report that a remarkable anisotropic magnetization and room temperature multiferroicity can be achieved through assembly of thiophene donor and fullerene acceptor. The crystal motif directs the dimensional and compositional control of charge-transfer networks that could switch magnetization under external stimuli, thereby opening up an attractive class of all-organic nanoferronics.
Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany), Jan 29, 2014
Schematic AuCu/FeCo core-shell magnetic nanoparticles: FeCo shell is precisely synthesized on non... more Schematic AuCu/FeCo core-shell magnetic nanoparticles: FeCo shell is precisely synthesized on non-magnetic AuCu core to form the core/shell nanostructures. Due to the non-magnetic AuCu core, the FeCo shell exhibits a transition from single domain to magnetic vortex state.
Scientific reports, 2013
Iron pyrite (fool's gold, FeS₂) is a promising earth abundant and environmentally benign semi... more Iron pyrite (fool's gold, FeS₂) is a promising earth abundant and environmentally benign semiconductor material that shows promise as a strong and broad absorber for photovoltaics and high energy density cathode material for batteries. However, controlling FeS₂ nanocrystal formation (composition, size, shape, stoichiometry, etc.) and defect mitigation still remains a challenge. These problems represent significant limitations in the ability to control electrical, optical and electrochemical properties to exploit pyrite's full potential for sustainable energy applications. Here, we report a symmetry-defying oriented attachment FeS₂ nanocrystal growth by examining the nanostructure evolution and recrystallization to uncover how the shape, size and defects of FeS₂ nanocrystals changes during growth. It is demonstrated that a well-controlled reaction temperature and annealing time results in polycrystal-to-monocrystal formation and defect annihilation, which correlates with the ...
Scientific reports, 2014
Room temperature magnetic field effects have not been definitively observed in either single-wall... more Room temperature magnetic field effects have not been definitively observed in either single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) or C₆₀ under a small magnetic field due to their weak hyperfine interaction and slight difference of g-factor between positive and negative polarons. Here, we demonstrate charge-transfer induced magnetic field effects in nano-carbon C₆₀-SWCNT bulk heterojunctions at room temperature, where the mechanism of magnetic field effects is verified using excited state transition modeling. By controlling SWCNT concentrations and interfacial interactions, nano-carbon heterojunctions exhibit tunability of charge-transfer density and room temperature magnetoconductance of 2.8% under 100 mT external magnetic field. External stimuli, such as electric field and photoexcitation, also play an important role in controlling the magnetic field effects of nano-carbon heterojunctions, which suggests that these findings could enable the control of optoelectronic properties of nano-...
Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.), 2015
Carbon charge-transfer complexes offer great potential for next generation organic multiferroics.... more Carbon charge-transfer complexes offer great potential for next generation organic multiferroics. On page 734, S. Ren and co-workers demonstrate room temperature magnetoelectric coupling of nanocarbon charge-transfer magnets. In the image magnetic field effects on optoelectronic and dipole properties of nanocarbon complexes are shown, which would be critical for the development of all-organic multifunctional smart devices.
Nanoscale, 2012
We report that self-assembled gold (Au) nanopyramid arrays can greatly enhance the photocurrent o... more We report that self-assembled gold (Au) nanopyramid arrays can greatly enhance the photocurrent of narrow bandgap organic solar cells using their plasmonic near-field effect. The plasmonic enhanced power conversion efficiency exhibited up to 200% increase under the AM 1.5 solar illumination.
Nano Letters, 2011
Quantum dots show great promise for fabrication of hybrid bulk heterojunction solar cells with en... more Quantum dots show great promise for fabrication of hybrid bulk heterojunction solar cells with enhanced power conversion efficiency, yet controlling the morphology and interface structure on the nanometer length scale is challenging. Here, we demonstrate quantum dot-based hybrid solar cells with improved electronic interaction between donor and acceptor components, resulting in significant improvement in short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage. CdS quantum dots were bound onto crystalline P3HT nanowires through solvent-assisted grafting and ligand exchange, leading to controlled organicÀinorganic phase separation and an improved maximum power conversion efficiency of 4.1% under AM 1.5 solar illumination. Our approach can be applied to a wide range of quantum dots and polymer hybrids and is compatible with solution processing, thereby offering a general scheme for improving the efficiency of nanocrystal hybrid solar cells.
Nano Letters, 2011
We demonstrate single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)/P3HT polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells... more We demonstrate single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)/P3HT polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells with an AM1.5 efficiency of 0.72%, significantly higher than previously reported (0.05%). A key step in achieving high efficiency is the utilization of semiconducting SWCNTs coated with an ordered P3HT layer to enhance the charge separation and transport in the device active layer. Electrical characteristics of devices with SWCNT concentrations up to 40 wt % were measured and are shown to be strongly dependent on the SWCNT loading. A maximum open circuit voltage was measured for SWCNT concentration of 3 wt % with a value of 1.04 V, higher than expected based on the interface band alignment. Modeling of the open-circuit voltage suggests that despite the large carrier mobility in SWCNTs device power conversion efficiency is governed by carrier recombination. Optical characterization shows that only SWCNT with diameter of 1.3-1.4 nm can contribute to the photocurrent with internal quantum efficiency up to 26%. Our results advance the fundamental understanding and improve the design of efficient polymer/SWCNTs solar cells.
Nano Letters, 2011
We demonstrate an organic/inorganic solar cell architecture based on a blend of poly(3-hexylthiop... more We demonstrate an organic/inorganic solar cell architecture based on a blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and narrow bandgap GaAs nanowires. The measured increase of device photocurrent with increased nanowire loading is correlated with structural ordering within the active layer that enhances charge transport. Coating the GaAs nanowires with TiO(x) shells passivates nanowire surface states and further improves the photovoltaic performance. We find that the P3HT/nanowire cells yield power conversion efficiencies of 2.36% under white LED illumination for devices containing 50 wt % of TiO(x)-coated GaAs nanowires. Our results constitute important progress for the use of nanowires in large area solution processed hybrid photovoltaic cells and provide insight into the role of structural ordering in the device performance.
Chemical Communications, 2010
A simple and versatile approach was developed to generate hierarchical assemblies of ultra-small ... more A simple and versatile approach was developed to generate hierarchical assemblies of ultra-small gold nanocluster thin films using the combination of galvanic reaction and a block copolymer coordinated with gold complex. Variation of the temperature allows effective control over the optical response of these stimuli-responsive organic-nanocluster hybrid structures.
Applied Physics Letters, 2009
Erratum: "High output power density from GaN-based two-dimensional nanorod light-emitting diode a... more Erratum: "High output power density from GaN-based two-dimensional nanorod light-emitting diode arrays"
Advanced Materials, 2013
A substantial magnetoelectric coupling effect of an excitonic all-conjugated block copolymer mult... more A substantial magnetoelectric coupling effect of an excitonic all-conjugated block copolymer multiferroics consisting of electronically distinct polythiophene derivatives is reported. The observations open new avenues for the multifunctional all-conjugated block copolymer synthesis and electric field tunable multiferroic devices.
Advanced Materials, 2013
High-performance broad-spectrum nanocarbon bulk-heterojunction photovoltaic photodetectors are re... more High-performance broad-spectrum nanocarbon bulk-heterojunction photovoltaic photodetectors are reported. These reported photodetectors consist of a semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotube (s-SWCNT) and a PC71 BM blended active layer. Magnetic-field effects and the chirality of the s-SWCNTs play an important role in controlling the photoresponse time and photocurrent improvement.
ACS Nano, 2012
Carbon materials are excellent candidates for photovoltaic solar cells: they are Earth-abundant, ... more Carbon materials are excellent candidates for photovoltaic solar cells: they are Earth-abundant, possess high optical absorption, and maintain superior thermal and photostability. Here we report on solar cells with active layers made solely of carbon nanomaterials that present the same advantages of conjugated polymer-based solar cells, namely, solution processable, potentially flexible, and chemically tunable, but with increased photostability and the possibility to revert photodegradation. The device active layer composition is optimized using ab initio density functional theory calculations to predict type-II band alignment and Schottky barrier formation. The best device fabricated is composed of PC(70)BM fullerene, semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes, and reduced graphene oxide. This active-layer composition achieves a power conversion efficiency of 1.3%-a record for solar cells based on carbon as the active material-and we calculate efficiency limits of up to 13% for the devices fabricated in this work, comparable to those predicted for polymer solar cells employing PCBM as the acceptor. There is great promise for improving carbon-based solar cells considering the novelty of this type of device, the high photostability, and the availability of a large number of carbon materials with yet untapped potential for photovoltaics. Our results indicate a new strategy for efficient carbon-based, solution-processable, thin film, photostable solar cells.