Kevin P. Musselman

Efficient Triplet Exciton Fusion in Molecularly Doped Polymer Light-Emitting Diodes

Solution-processed polymer organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) doped with triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA)-upconversion molecules, including 9,10-diphenylanthracene, perylene, rubrene and TIPS-pentacene, are reported. The fraction of triplet-generated electroluminescence approaches the theoretical limit. Record-high efficiencies in solution-processed OLEDs based on these materials are achieved. Unprecedented solid-state TTA-upconversion quantum yield of 23% (TTA-upconversion reaction efficiency of 70%) at electrical excitation well below one-sun equivalent is observed.

Modelling charge transport lengths in heterojunction solar cells

A drift-diffusion model is used to estimate the minority carrier transport length and depletion width in heterojunction solar cells from measured external quantum efficiency (EQE) data. The model is applied to Cu2O-ZnO heterojunctions synthesized by electrodeposition and thermal oxidation, and the electron drift and diffusion lengths are estimated: Ldriftu2009≈u2009110u2009nm for electrodeposited Cu2O and Ldriftu2009≈u20092790u2009nm and Ldiffu2009≈u2009310u2009nm for thermally oxidized Cu2O. Better fitting of EQE data is obtained than with traditional models that neglect recombination in the depletion region.

Resistive Switching Memory of TiO2 Nanowire Networks Grown on Ti Foil by a Single Hydrothermal Method

AbstractThe resistive switching characteristics of TiO2 nanowire networks directly grown on Ti foil by a single-step hydrothermal technique are discussed in this paper. The Ti foil serves as the supply of Ti atoms for growth of the TiO2 nanowires, making the preparation straightforward. It also acts as a bottom electrode for the device. A top Al electrode was fabricated by e-beam evaporation process. The Al/TiO2 nanowire networks/Ti device fabricated in this way displayed a highly repeatable and electroforming-free bipolar resistive behavior with retention for more than 104 s and an OFF/ON ratio of approximately 70. The switching mechanism of this Al/TiO2 nanowire networks/Ti device is suggested to arise from the migration of oxygen vacancies under applied electric field. This provides a facile way to obtain metal oxide nanowire-based ReRAM device in the future.n

Rapid open-air deposition of uniform, nanoscale, functional coatings on nanorod arrays

Coating of high-aspect-ratio nanostructures has previously been achieved using batch processes poorly suited for high-throughput manufacturing. It is demonstrated that uniform, nanoscale coatings can be rapidly deposited on zinc oxide nanorod arrays in open-air using an atmospheric pressure spatial deposition system. The morphology of the metal oxide coatings is examined and good electrical contact with the underlying nanorods is observed. The functionality of the coatings is demonstrated in colloidal quantum dot and hybrid solar cells.

Oxygen vacancy migration/diffusion induced synaptic plasticity in a single titanate nanobelt

Neuromorphic computational systems that emulate biological synapses in the human brain are fundamental in the development of artificial intelligence protocols beyond the standard von Neumann architecture. Such systems require new types of building blocks, such as memristors that access a quasi-continuous and wide range of conductive states, which is still an obstacle for the realization of high-efficiency and large-capacity learning in neuromorphoric simulation. Here, we introduce hydrogen and sodium titanate nanobelts, the intermediate products of hydrothermal synthesis of TiO2 nanobelts, to emulate the synaptic behavior. Devices incorporating a single titanate nanobelt demonstrate robust and reliable synaptic functions, including excitatory postsynaptic current, paired pulse facilitation, short term plasticity, potentiation and depression, as well as learning-forgetting behavior. In particular, the gradual modulation of conductive states in the single nanobelt device can be achieved by a large number of identical pulses. The mechanism for synaptic functionality of the titanate nanobelt device is attributed to the competition between an electric field driven migration of oxygen vacancies and a thermally induced spontaneous diffusion. These results provide insight into the potential use of titanate nanobelts in synaptic applications requiring continuously addressable states coupled with high processing efficiency.

Simple plasma assisted atomic layer deposition technique for high substitutional nitrogen doping of TiO2

In this work, a plasma assisted atomic layer deposition system was used to deposit nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide. A simple approach was developed that requires only a nitrogen plasma and short plasma exposure times to effectively dope TiO2. A range of nitrogen concentrations were achieved by varying the flow rate and exposure times of nitrogen and oxygen plasmas. A nitrogen content as high as 23u2009±u20090.5 at. % was observed when only the nitrogen plasma was used. It was also possible to vary the type of nitrogen doping from almost entirely interstitial to purely substitutional, as measured by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy measurements showed a shifting in the absorption edge from 350 to 520u2009nm with doping, indicating bandgap narrowing from 3.1 to 1.9u2009eV.

The Effect of Varying Ultrafast Pulse Laser Energies on the Electrical Properties of Reduced Graphene Oxide Sheets in Solution

Laser treatment of graphene oxide solution among other techniques is a well-established technique for producing reduced graphene sheets. However, production of high-quality ultra-low sheet resistance reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets in solution has been a challenge due to their high degree of randomness, defect-rich medium, and lack of controlability. Recent studies lack an in-depth analytic comparison of laser treatment parameters that yield the highest quality rGO sheets with a low defect ratio. Hence, in this study, we implement a comprehensive comparison of laser treatment parameters and their effect on the yielded rGO sheets from an electronic and physical standpoint. Ultra-low sheet resistance graphene oxide sheets were fabricated using ultrafast laser irradiation with different laser pulse energies in the range of 0.25–2xa0mJ. Laser treatment for 10xa0min using a pulse energy of 1xa0mJ resulted in an increase in the defect spacing, accompanied by a large red shift in the optical absorption of the C=C bond, indicating significant restoration of the sp2 carbon bonds. These enhancements resulted in a significant reduction in the electrical resistance of the rGO flakes (up to 2 orders of magnitude), raising the electron mobility of the films produced using the irradiated graphene oxide a step closer to that of pristine graphene films. From this study, we can also deduce which exposure regimes result in the fabrication of quantum dots and continuous defect-free films.