David R. Barbero

Ultrahigh Mobility in an Organic Semiconductor by Vertical Chain Alignment

A method to produce highly efficient and long-range vertical charge transport is demonstrated in an undoped polythiophene thin film, with average mobilities above 3.1 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) . These record high mobilities are achieved by controlled orientation of the polymer crystallites enabling the most efficient and fastest charge transport along the chain backbones and across multiple chains. The significant increase in mobility shown here may present a new route to producing faster and more efficient optoelectronic devices based on organic materials.

A multivariate approach to correlate bacterial surface properties to biofilm formation by lipopolysaccharide mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Bacterial biofilms are involved in various medical infections and for this reason it is of great importance to better understand the process of biofilm formation in order to eradicate or mitigate it. It is a very complex process and a large range of variables have been suggested to influence biofilm formation. However, their internal importance is still not well understood. In the present study, a range of surface properties of Pseudomonas aeruginosa lipopolysaccharide mutants were studied in relation to biofilm formation measured in different kinds of multi-well plates and growth conditions in order to better understand the complexity of biofilm formation. Multivariate analysis was used to simultaneously evaluate the role of a range of physiochemical parameters under different conditions. Our results suggest the presence of serum inhibited biofilm formation due to changes in twitching motility. From the multivariate analysis it was observed that the most important parameters, positively correlated to biofilm formation on two types of plates, were high hydrophobicity, near neutral zeta potential and motility. Negative correlation was observed with cell aggregation, as well as formation of outer membrane vesicles and exopolysaccharides. This work shows that the complexity of biofilm formation can be better understood using a multivariate approach that can interpret and rank the importance of different factors being present simultaneously under several different environmental conditions, enabling a better understanding of this complex process.

Functional single-walled carbon nanotubes and nanoengineered networks for organic- and Perovskite-solar-cell applications

Carbon nanotubes have a variety of remarkable electronic and mechanical properties that, in principle, lend them to promising optoelectronic applications. However, the field has been plagued by heterogeneity in the distributions of synthesized tubes and uncontrolled bundling, both of which have prevented nanotubes from reaching their full potential. Here, a variety of recently demonstrated solution-processing avenues is presented, which may combat these challenges through manipulation of nanoscale structures. Recent advances in polymer-wrapping of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are shown, along with how the resulting nanostructures can selectively disperse tubes while also exploiting the favorable properties of the polymer, such as light-harvesting ability. New methods to controllably form nanoengineered SWNT networks with controlled nanotube placement are discussed. These nanoengineered networks decrease bundling, lower the percolation threshold, and enable a strong enhancement in charge conductivity compared to random networks, making them potentially attractive for optoelectronic applications. Finally, SWNT applications, to date, in organic and perovskite photovoltaics are reviewed, and insights as to how the aforementioned recent advancements can lead to improved device performance provided.

Graphene oxide hydration and solvation: an in situ neutron reflectivity study

Graphene oxide membranes were recently suggested for applications in separation of ethanol from water using a vapor permeation method. Using isotope contrast, neutron reflectivity was applied to evaluate the amounts of solvents intercalated into a membrane from pure and binary vapors and to evaluate the selectivity of the membrane permeation. Particularly, the effect of D2O, ethanol and D2O-ethanol vapours on graphene oxide (GO) thin films (∼25 nm) was studied. The interlayer spacing of GO and the amount of intercalated solvents were evaluated simultaneously as a function of vapour exposure duration. The significant difference in neutron scattering length density between D2O and ethanol allows distinguishing insertion of each component of the binary mixture into the GO structure. The amount of intercalated solvent at saturation corresponds to 1.4 molecules per formula unit for pure D2O (∼1.4 monolayers) and 0.45 molecules per formula unit (one monolayer) for pure ethanol. This amount is in addition to H2O absorbed at ambient humidity. Exposure of the GO film to ethanol-D2O vapours results in intercalation of GO with both solvents even for high ethanol concentration. A mixed D2O-ethanol layer inserted into the GO structure is water enriched compared to the composition of vapours due to slower ethanol diffusion into GO interlayers.

Nano-engineering of SWNT networks for enhanced charge transport at ultralow nanotube loading

We demonstrate a simple and controllable method to form periodic arrays of highly conductive nano-engineered single wall carbon nanotube networks from solution. These networks increase the conductivity of a polymer composite by as much as eight orders of magnitude compared to a traditional random network. These nano-engineered networks are demonstrated in both polystyrene and polythiophene polymers.

Reduced crystallinity and enhanced charge transport by melt annealing of an organic semiconductor on single layer graphene

We report on the effect of the annealing temperature on the crystallization and the electrical properties of the semiconducting polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) on single layer graphene. Electrical characterization showed that heating the P3HT film above the melting point (Tm) resulted in a higher vertical charge carrier mobility. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) revealed that the film was actually less crystalline overall, but that it consisted of a much higher number of face-on crystallites. We moreover show that annealing above Tm removes the existing seeds still present in the film at lower temperatures and enhances face-on formation. These results provide a better understanding of the influence of the annealing temperature on polythiophene crystallization on graphene, and it shows that the annealing at higher temperature induces a more favorable crystalline orientation which enhances charge transport, despite the reduction in the overall crystallinity. These results should help in the design of more efficient graphene based organic electronic devices by controlling the crystalline morphology of the semiconducting film.

Nanostructured networks of single wall carbon nanotubes for highly transparent, conductive, and anti-reflective flexible electrodes

Highly transparent, anti-reflective, flexible, and conductive electrodes are produced by nanopatterning of a polymer composite made of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). The formation of nanostructures creates interconnected nanotubes and vertically aligned SWNT networks which greatly improves charge transport compared to a traditionally mixed composite. These electrodes moreover possess high transparency (98% at 550 nm) and good anti-reflective properties. The use of low nanotube loadings provides an economical solution to make conductive and highly transparent flexible electrodes. The process used is simple and can be easily scaled to large areas by roll to roll processes.

Optoelectronic Devices: Ultrahigh Mobility in an Organic Semiconductor by Vertical Chain Alignment (Adv. Mater. 12/2016).

Vertical chain backbone alignment in a semiconducting polythiophene film is illustrated by D. R. Barbero and co-workers on page 2359. The chain alignment enables fast charge transport and ultrahigh mobility, reaching a record high average mobility of 3.1 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) in the vertical direction, showing that mobilities comparable to those of inorganic materials can be obtained over relatively large distances in polymers through control of the polymer chain orientation.