Daniel Elkington

Combining Printing, Coating, and Vacuum Deposition on the Roll-to-Roll Scale: A Hybrid Organic Photovoltaics Fabrication

The potential for organic electronic technologies to produce low-cost energy at large scales is often cited as the most attractive feature of these materials. Such aspirations depend on the ability of materials to be printed from solution at high speeds across large areas using roll-to-roll (R2R) processing. However, progressing the technology from the laboratory environment into the industrial manufacturing arena is highly challenging. Closing the gap between exciting laboratory scale insights and the industrial scale potential requires a new focus on upscaling existing technology. Some recent progress in this area is discussed, concentrating on the need to pursue research across several different scales simultaneously in order to most effectively optimize large-scale fabrication efforts. These discussions are placed in the context of a design philosophy that combines printing, coating, and vacuum-based procedures. The challenges associated with selecting, and subsequently synthesizing, the optimal materials for device construction at large scales are considered. Case histories that highlight the unique challenges encountered during printing, coating, and sputtering at the R2R scale are presented. Developing testing and characterization procedures that can interrogate organic photovoltaic device (OPV) structures in real time is also discussed, and the opportunity for new tools to probe device photophysics is highlighted. The collection of innovative approaches to R2R fabrication challenges discussed here highlights the exciting progress toward efficient OPV modules becoming a commercial reality.

Novel low voltage and solution processable organic thin film transistors based on water dispersed polymer semiconductor nanoparticulates

Two novel organic thin film transistor structures that combine a hygroscopic insulator with the use of water-dispersed polymer nanoparticles as the active layer are presented. In the first device structure, the semiconducting layer was fabricated from a nanoparticulate suspension of poly-(3-hexylthiophene) prepared through a mini-emulsion process using sodium dodecyl sulfate as the surfactant whereas a surfactant-free precipitation method has been used for the second device structure. In both cases, fully solution processable transistors have been fabricated in a top gate configuration with hygroscopic poly(4-vinylphenol) as the dielectric layer. Both device structures operate at low voltages (0 to -4V) but exhibit contrasting output characteristics. A systematic study is presented on the effect of surfactant on the synthesis of semiconducting nanoparticles, the formation of thin nanoparticulate films and, consequently, on device performance.

Detection of saliva-range glucose concentrations using organic thin-film transistors

We describe the development of a glucose sensor through direct incorporation of an enzyme (glucose oxidase) into the gate of an organic thin film transistor (OTFT). We show that glucose diffusion is the key determinant of the device response time and present a mechanism of glucose sensing in these devices that involves protonic doping of the transistor channel via enzymatic oxidation of glucose. The integrated OTFT sensor is sensitive across 4 decades of glucose concentration; a range that encompasses both the blood and salivary glucose concentration levels. As such, this work acts as a proof-of-concept for low-cost printed biosensors for salivary glucose.

Bias-dependent effects in planar perovskite solar cells based on CH3NH3PbI3−xClx films

A unique bias-dependent phenomenon in CH3NH3PbI(3-x)Cl(x) based planar perovskite solar cells has been demonstrated, in which the photovoltaic parameters derived from the current-voltage (I-V) curves are highly dependent on the initial positive bias of the I-V measurement. In FTO/CH3NH3PbI(3-x)Cl(x)/Au devices, the open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current increased by ca. 337.5% and 281.9% respectively, by simply increasing the initial bias from 0.5 V to 2.5 V.

Solution processable interface materials for nanoparticulate organic photovoltaic devices

Nanoparticulate zinc oxide can be prepared at low temperatures from solution processable zinc acetylacetonate. The use of this material as a cathode interfacial layer in nanoparticulate organic photovoltaic devices results in comparable performances to those based on reactive calcium layers. Importantly, the enhanced degradation stability and full solution processability make zinc oxide a more desirable material for the fabrication of large area printed devices.

Printable organic thin film transistors for glucose detection incorporating inkjet-printing of the enzyme recognition element

The effect of device architecture upon the response of printable enzymatic glucose sensors based on poly(3-hexythiophene) (P3HT) organic thin film transistors is presented. The change in drain current is used as the basis for glucose detection and we show that significant improvements in drain current response time can be achieved by modifying the design of the sensor structure. In particular, we show that eliminating the dielectric layer and reducing the thickness of the active layer reduce the device response time considerably. The results are in good agreement with a diffusion based model of device operation, where an initial rapid dedoping process is followed by a slower doping of the P3HT layer from protons that are enzymatically generated by glucose oxidase (GOX) at the Nafion gate electrode. The fitted diffusion data are consistent with a P3HT doping region that is close to the source-drain electrodes rather than located at the P3HT:[Nafion:GOX] interface. Finally, we demonstrate that further improvements in sensor structure and morphology can be achieved by inkjet-printing the GOX layer, offering a pathway to low-cost printed biosensors for the detection of glucose in saliva.

Effects of Device Architecture on the Performance of Organic Thin Film Transistors

The impact of device dimension and architecture on the device performance of an all–solution fabrication organic thin film transistor (OTFT) has been investigated. The saturation drain current is inversely proportional to the channel length, indicating that a characteristic of field–effect like transistor has been obtained. In contrast, the drain current is independent of the thickness of polyvinylphenol (PVP) dielectric layer and a large leakage current is observed at the gate electrode indicating that the device also shows electrochemical transistor characteristics. Although separate conductance measurements of a single poly(3–hexylthiophene) (P3HT) layer and a P3HT/PVP layer reveal that the conductance is proportional to the thickness of the layer, the maximum achieved drain current in the fabricated OTFT is inversely proportional to the P3HT thickness. Using this data, an interface of P3HT/PVP or a maximum P3HT thickness for a working transistor of approximately 160 ± 16 nm can be extracted. The mechanism of operation of these devices is discussed.

High‐Performance Thin Film Transistor from Solution‐Processed P3HT Polymer Semiconductor Nanoparticles

Nanoparticulate suspensions of semiconducting polymer poly‐3‐hexylthiophene (P3HT) have been prepared in water through a mini‐emulsion process using sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) as the surfactant. Using these suspensions, we have fabricated organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) in a top gate configuration. These devices operate at a low voltage and show output characteristics similar to those achieved when the P3HT film is spun from chloroform. To characterize the properties of the film made from the nanoparticle suspension, differential thermal analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), atomic force microscopy (AFM), fluorescence spectra analysis, ultraviolet/visible (UV/VIS) spectrophotometry and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) have been used.

Surfactant Free P3HT / PCBM Nanoparticles for Organic Photovoltaics (OPV)

Initial attempts to prepare conducting polymer nanoparticles with ethanol as a solvent are described. Using poly (3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT)/1‐(methoxycarbonylpropyl)‐1‐phenyl‐[6,6]C61 (PCBM) blends we demonstrate surfactant‐free synthesis and characterization of polymer nanoparticles in ethanol dispersion. The spectral features of the nanoparticles were investigated by UV‐vis spectrophotometry show that P3HT has an absorption maximum at ∼520 nm, while the absorption peak of PCBM lies at ∼330 nm. Corresponding fluorescence spectra of the nanoparticles show an emission peak at 630 nm with a shoulder visible at 720 nm. TEM spectra show that the particle size is in the range 35 to 100 nm. Using the ethanol suspension of these particles, we have fabricated and characterized working OPV (organic photovoltaic) devices. This approach is shown to be an effective way to control active layer morphology in OPV devices.

Comparison of inorganic electron transport layers in fully roll-to-roll coated/printed organic photovoltaics in normal geometry

We investigate the suitability of four different inorganic materials (chromium oxide (CrOX), titanium oxide (TiOX), aluminium doped zinc oxide (AZO) and zinc oxide (ZnO)) as electrode transport layers in fully roll-to-roll (R2R) fabricated P3HT:ICxA organic solar cells. CrOX and TiOX were found to be unsuitable, as the CrOX devices did not exhibit rectifying behaviour while the TiOX devices did not withstand the annealing conditions. Of the last two ETLs, ZnO showed by far the most promise with devices demonstrating an average efficiency of 2.2%, which is the highest reported value for R2R devices in normal geometry, and a significantly extended lifetime compared with AZO devices under ISOS-L-2 conditions.