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Light‐emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) are promising lighting devices in which the redistribution of ionic charges allows for double electronic carrier injection from air‐stable electrodes. Uncertainties about the mode of operation are limiting the progress of these devices. Using fast (with respect to the current growth time) but resolutive electrical measurement techniques, the electronic transport mechanism in state‐of‐the‐art sandwiched devices can be monitored as a function of the operation time. The results indicate the formation of doped transport layers adjacent to the electrodes that reduces the extent of the central neutral light‐emitting layer where electronic transport is limited by space‐charge. Prolonged growth of the doped regions beyond that required for efficient injection should be prevented, as this decreases the efficiency and leads to low luminance devices.

In this work we show that solution-processed light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) based on only an ionic iridium complex and a small amount of ionic liquid exhibit exceptionally good performances when applying a pulsed current: sub-second turn-on times and almost constant high luminances (>600 cd m(-2) ) and power efficiencies over the first 600 h. This demonstrates the potential of LECs for applications in solid-state signage and lighting.

The conversion of light to electrical and chemical energy has the potential to provide meaningful advances to many aspects of daily life, including the production of energy, water purification, and optical sensing. Recently, plasmonic nanoparticles (PNPs) have been increasingly used in artificial photosynthesis (e.g., water splitting) devices in order to extend the visible light utilization of semiconductors to light energies below their band gap. These nanoparticles absorb light and produce hot electrons and holes that can drive artificial photosynthesis reactions. For n-type semiconductor photoanodes decorated with PNPs, hot charge carriers are separated by a process called hot electron injection (HEI), where hot electrons with sufficient energy are transferred to the conduction band of the semiconductor. An important parameter that affects the HEI efficiency is the nanoparticle composition, since the hot electron energy is sensitive to the electronic band structure of the metal. Alloy PNPs are of particular importance for semiconductor/PNPs composites, because by changing the alloy composition their absorption spectra can be tuned to accurately extend the light absorption of the semiconductor. This work experimentally compares the HEI efficiency from Ag, Au, and Ag/Au alloy nanoparticles to TiO2 photoanodes for the photoproduction of hydrogen. Alloy PNPs not only exhibit tunable absorption but can also improve the stability and electronic and catalytic properties of the pure metal PNPs. In this work, we find that the Ag/Au alloy PNPs extend the stability of Ag in water to larger applied potentials while, at the same time, increasing the interband threshold energy of Au. This increasing of the interband energy of Au suppresses the visible-light-induced interband excitations, favoring intraband excitations that result in higher hot electron energies and HEI efficiencies.

Plasmonic color generation offers several advantages but is also limited by the cost and availability of noble metals like gold. In this work, we present color-tunable metasurfaces with high chromaticity and reflectivity consisting of an aluminum mirror, a dielectric spacer, and a plasmonic nanohole array in copper. Copper is shown to be an excellent alternative to gold when properly protected from oxidation and makes it possible to generate a wide RGB gamut covering 27% of the standard RGB. By patterning the metasurfaces into microscale pixel triplets, color photos can be well reproduced with high resolution over wafer-sized areas. Further, we demonstrate active modulation of the reflected intensity using an electrochromic conductive polymer deposited on top of the nanostructures by screen printing. This technology opens up for ultrathin and flexible reflective displays in full color, that is, plasmonic electronic paper, compatible with large-scale sustainable production.

The half-lantern compound [{Pt(bzq)(μ-C(7)H(4)NS(2)-κN,S)}(2)]·Me(2)CO (1) was obtained by reaction of equimolar amounts of potassium 2-mercaptobenzothiazolate (KC(7)H(4)NS(2)) and [Pt(bzq)(NCMe)(2)]ClO(4). The Pt(II)···Pt(II) separation in the neutral complex [{Pt(bzq)(μ-C(7)H(4)NS(2)-κN,S)}(2)] is 2.910 (2) Å, this being among the shortest observed in half-lantern divalent platinum complexes. Within the complex, the benzo[h]quinoline (bzq) groups lie in close proximity with most C···C distances being between 3.3 and 3.7 Å, which is indicative of significant π-π interactions. The reaction of 1 with halogens X(2) (X(2) = Cl(2), Br(2), or I(2)) proceeds with a two-electron oxidation to give the corresponding dihalodiplatinum(III) complexes [{Pt(bzq)(μ-C(7)H(4)NS(2)-κN,S)X}(2)] (X = Cl 2, Br 3, I 4). Their X-ray structures confirm the retention of the half-lantern structure and the coordination mode of the bzq and the bridging ligand μ-C(7)H(4)NS(2)-κN,S. The Pt-Pt distances (Pt-Pt = 2.6420(3) Å 2, 2.6435(4) Å 3, 2.6690(3) Å 4) are shorter than that in 1 because of the Pt-Pt bond formation. Time dependent-density functional theory (TD-DFT) studies performed on 1 show a formal bond order of 0 between the metal atoms, with the 6p(z) contribution diminishing the antibonding character of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and being responsible for an attractive intermetallic interaction. A shortening of the Pt-Pt distance from 2.959 Å in the ground state S(0) to 2.760 Å in the optimized first excited state (T(1)) is consistent with an increase in the Pt-Pt bond order to 0.5. In agreement with TD-DFT calculations, the intense, structureless, red emission of 1 in the solid state and in solution can be mainly attributed to triplet metal-metal-to-ligand charge transfer ((3)MMLCT) [dσ*(Pt-Pt) → π*(bzq)] excited states. The high quantum yields of this emission measured in toluene (44%) and solid state (62%) at room temperature indicate that 1 is a very efficient and stable (3)MMLCT emitter, even in solution. The high luminescence quantum yield of its red emission, added to its neutral character and the thermal stability of 1, make it a potential compound to be incorporated as phosphorescent dopant in multilayer organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs).

Light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) based on cyanine molecules were prepared. High photoluminescence quantum yields were obtained for host-guest films using two cyanine dyes, reaching 27%. Sandwiching these films in between two electrodes allows for very stable near-infrared emission with a maximum radiant flux of 1.7 W m(-2) at an external quantum efficiency of 0.44%.