Mesoscale molecular network formation in amorphous organic materials

High-performance solution-processed organic semiconductors maintain macroscopic functionality even in the presence of microscopic disorder. Here we show that the functional robustness of certain organic materials arises from the ability of molecules to create connected mesoscopic electrical networks...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2014-07, Vol.111 (28), p.10055-10060
Main Authors: Savoie, Brett M., Kohlstedt, Kevin L., Jackson, Nicholas E., Chen, Lin X., de la Cruz, Monica Olvera, Schatz, George C., Marks, Tobin J., Ratner, Mark A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Connectivity
Electrical networks
Electrons
Fullerenes
Materials
Molecular structure
Molecules
Network analysis
Photovoltaic cells
Physical Sciences
Semiconductors
Sonar
Vertices
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:High-performance solution-processed organic semiconductors maintain macroscopic functionality even in the presence of microscopic disorder. Here we show that the functional robustness of certain organic materials arises from the ability of molecules to create connected mesoscopic electrical networks, even in the absence of periodic order. The hierarchical network structures of two families of important organic photovoltaic acceptors, functionalized fullerenes and perylene diimides, are analyzed using a newly developed graph methodology. The results establish a connection between network robustness and molecular topology, and also demonstrate that solubilizing moieties play a large role in disrupting the molecular networks responsible for charge transport. A clear link is established between the success of mono and bis functionalized fullerene acceptors in organic photovoltaics and their ability to construct mesoscopically connected electrical networks over length scales of 10 nm.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1409514111