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RESEARCH PROGRAM

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Keywords
OPTOELECTRONICS AND PHOTONICS, ORGANIC SEMICONDUCTORS, MOLECULAR AND POLYMERIC FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, CHARGE PHOTOGENERATION AND PHOTOCONDUCTION, PHOTOCORRELATED FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES

Photo-active Molecular and Polymeric Materials for Optoelectronics and Photonics

Università della Calabria
Abstract
Different photonic and optoelectronic technologies have already reached the stage of commercial production, in some cases by a long time, such as for example photovoltaic cells. The dominant approach is still based upon crystalline or amorphous inorganic semiconductors, whose properties of electronic conduction and interaction with electromagnetic radiation have been understood since long ago. Developments regarding molecular or polymeric materials are more recent and based on a series of considerations:
- With Carbon-based chemistry it is possible to design and synthesize structures with tailored properties
- Non-covalent intermolecular forces can be used to obtain complex functionalities
- Thin films with controlled nano-morphology can be obtained via different techniques, including ink-jet printing
- Low temperature processing compatible with flexible, lightweight substrates is available
- Materials and processes are potentially low cost, even for large area manufacturing
However, all such properties must be associated with suitable functional (optical and electronic) performance. In this respect, organic materials still lag behind their inorganic counterpart, although they are constantly improving and the first niche commercial products have appeared. The lower performance is certainly tied to the lower level of understanding of some of the most important physical phenomena relevant for their use. In turn, this is due to >>>

Principal Investigator
Attilio Golemme Università della CALABRIA
Research Objectives
The performances of optoelectronic and photonic devices based on organic materials, when compared to their more traditional inorganic counterpart, are still low. This is a consequence of the poorer level of several functional features such as, for example, charge mobility or photogeneration efficiency. The aim of this project is the synthesis, the understanding of the basic properties and the development of improved functionalities of molecular and polymeric materials for photonics and optoelectronics. Given the similar functionalities required by different applications, results will be relevant in a variety of areas including photovoltaic, Light Emitting Devices (LED’s), photorefractive and Organic Thin Film Transistor (OTFT) based technologies.
The need of complex and time consuming (and therefore expensive) processes for assembling different materials with different functionalities in multilayered structures, in connection with the poor understanding of the physical properties of the related interfaces, is another factor affecting negatively the use of organic materials. For this reason, the development of multifunctional materials will be one of the main targets of this project. In addition, particular attention will be given to the structural organization of molecular materials, since the functional levels connected with nano-aggregates, liquid crystalline order or supramolecular organization go well beyond the sum of the contributions of the single molecules. >>>

First Results
During the past decades, synthetic organic materials, often referred to as plastics by the public, have increasingly transformed our daily lives. With their light-weight and unique mechanical properties, they are molded and cast into various goods in high volume and low cost. In recent years, new functionalities such as electrical, electro-optical, light harvesting, and light-emitting properties have been built into organic materials and polymers. Advances in the understanding and optimization of these properties through structure-property relationships have fueled the emergence of a new technology that has the potential to lead to a new industrial revolution. Researchers and engineers worldwide see major new opportunities for information technology in this low cost, large area, and flexible alternative to silicon. For instance, displays based on organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have become commercial and are gaining new markets rapidly. Because they are self-emitting, OLEDs consume less power than common liquid-crystal displays that require backlighting. Likewise, organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) based on organic semiconductors are gaining a lot of attention because of their paper-like form-factors and their ability to be produced on highly flexible substrates. Light-weight flexible organic solar cells are expected to find numerous applications in commercial and consumer markets.
Since it deals with the photo-related properties of a series of molecular and >>>

Timescale
24 months
National and international background
Molecular and polymeric semiconductors have recently been the subject of impressive research efforts, with the aim of breaking the dominance of Silicon, and in general of the inorganic materials, in electronic, optoelectronic and photonic devices [1]. Such an activity is certainly driven by a number of properties exhibited by organic materials:
- structural flexibility and lightweight;
- potential low cost;
- low temperature processing;
- compatibility with low-cost fabrication over large areas, such as roll-to-roll manufacturing;
- compatibility with several processing techniques from solution;
- nanomorphology control over large areas, such as with ink-jet printing.
Moreover, by using Carbon-based chemistry, it is possible to design molecules with properties tailored for specific applications and non-covalent intermolecular interactions can lead to important functional added value. The fact that different technologies have manifested a surging interest in molecular materials is therefore not surprising and today organic materials for lasers, light emmitting devices, transistors for flexible electronics, sensors and photovoltaic devices are the target of intense academic and industrial research. In addition, because of the relevance in applications such as image and data treatment and storage and in information and telecommunication technologies, the drive towards an organic approach is particularly relevant when electronic >>>