We present a microscopic study of photoinduced charge generation in polyfluorene-based photovoltaic structures. The sub-100 nm lateral resolution of scanning Kelvin probe microscopy allows characterizing the three-dimensional structure of thin films of blends of poly-(9,9'-dioctylfluorene-co-benzothiadiazole) (F8BT) and poly-(9,9'-dioctylfluorene-co-bis-N,N'-(4-butylphenyl)-bis-N,N'-phenyl-1,4-phenylenediamine) (PFB). From the strong correlation between surface photovoltage and blend morphology, we propose a simple model for the lateral and vertical film structure identifying in particular those regions with the most efficient conduction pathway for the photocurrent.

We present a comprehensive three-dimensional analysis of Kelvin probe force microscopy of semiconductors. It is shown that high-resolution electronic defect imaging is strongly affected by free carrier electrostatic screening, and the finite size of the measuring tip. In measurements conducted under ambient conditions, defects that are not more then 2 nanometers below the surface, and are at least 50 nanometers apart can be imaged only if the tip-sample distance is not larger then 10 nanometers. Under ultrahigh vacuum conditions, when the tip-sample distance can be as small as 1 nanometer, it is shown that the tip-induced band bending is only around a few millivolts, and can be neglected for most practical purposes. Our model is compared to ultrahigh vacuum Kelvin probe force microscopy measurements of surface steps on GaP, and it is shown that it can be used to obtain local surface charge densities.

Multicolor, fluorescent self-healing gels were constructed through reacting carbon dots produced from different aldehyde precursors with branched polyethylenimine. The self-healing gels were formed through Schiff base reaction between the aldehyde units displayed upon the carbon dots’ surface and primary amine residues within the polyethylenimine network, generating imine bonds. The dynamic covalent imine bonds between the carbon dots and polymeric matrix endowed the gels with both excellent self-healing properties as well as high mechanical strength. Moreover, the viscoelastic properties of the gels could be intimately modulated by controlling the ratio between the carbon dots and polymer. The distinct fluorescence emissions of the gels, originating from the specific carbon dot constituents, were employed for fabrication of light emitters at different colors, particularly generating white light.

Gehaltsabhängig: Die Reaktion von Polycyclooctadien (Poly(COD)) und [RhCl(C2H4)2]2 ergab wohldefinierte π‐gebundene Hybridpolymere, deren Größe vom Rhodiumgehalt abhängig war (siehe Bild). Die Reaktion dieser Polymere mit einem Phosphinaldehyd führte zur Regenerierung der ursprünglichen Polymere und beweist damit die Zugänglichkeit des Metalls.

Development of efficient, inexpensive, and environmentally-friendly light emitters, particularly devices that produce white light, have drawn intense interest due to diverse applications in the lighting industry, photonics, solar energy, and others. We present a simple strategy for the fabrication of flexible transparent films exhibiting tuneable light emission through one-pot synthesis of polymer matrixes with embedded carbon dots assembled in situ. Importantly, different luminescence colours were produced simply by preparing C-dot/polymer films using carbon precursors that yielded C-dots exhibiting distinct fluorescence emission profiles. Furthermore, mixtures of C-dot precursors could be also employed for fabricating films exhibiting different colours. In particular, we successfully produced films emitting white light with attractive properties (i.e."warm" white light with a high colour rendering index) - a highly sought after goal in optical technologies.