TY  - GEN
A1  - Liu, W.
A1  - Tkachov, R.
A1  - Komber, H.
A1  - Senkovskyy, V.
A1  - Schubert, M.
A1  - Wei, Z.
A1  - Facchetti, A.
A1  - Neher, Dieter
A1  - Kiriy, A.
T1  - Chain-growth polycondensation of perylene diimide-based copolymers
BT  - a new route to regio-regular perylene diimide-based acceptors for all-polymer solar cells and n-type transistors
N2  - Herein, we report the chain-growth tin-free room temperature polymerization method to synthesize n-type perylene diimide-dithiophene-based conjugated polymers (PPDIT2s) suitable for solar cell and transistor applications. The palladium/electron-rich tri-tert-butylphosphine catalyst is effective to enable the chain-growth polymerization of anion-radical monomer Br-TPDIT-Br/Zn to PPDIT2 with a molecular weight up to Mw ≈ 50 kg mol−1 and moderate polydispersity. This is the second example of the polymerization of unusual anion-radical aromatic complexes formed in a reaction of active Zn and electron-deficient diimide-based aryl halides. As such, the discovered polymerization method is not a specific reactivity feature of the naphthalene-diimide derivatives but is rather a general polymerization tool. This is an important finding, given the significantly higher maximum external quantum efficiency that can be reached with PDI-based copolymers (32–45%) in all-polymer solar cells compared to NDI-based materials (15–30%). Our studies revealed that PPDIT2 synthesized by the new method and the previously published polymer prepared by step-growth Stille polycondensation show similar electron mobility and all-polymer solar cell performance. At the same time, the polymerization reported herein has several technological advantages as it proceeds relatively fast at room temperature and does not involve toxic tin-based compounds. Because several chain-growth polymerization reactions are well-suited for the preparation of well-defined multi-functional polymer architectures, the next target is to explore the utility of the discovered polymerization in the synthesis of end-functionalized polymers and block copolymers. Such materials would be helpful to improve the nanoscale morphology of polymer blends in all-polymer solar cells.
T3  - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 273 
Y1  - 2014
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-98724
ER  - 
TY  - GEN
A1  - Neher, Dieter
A1  - Kniepert, Juliane
A1  - Elimelech, Arik
A1  - Koster, L. Jan Anton
T1  - A New Figure of Merit for Organic Solar Cells with Transport-limited Photocurrents
N2  - Compared to their inorganic counterparts, organic semiconductors suffer from relatively low charge carrier mobilities. Therefore, expressions derived for inorganic solar cells to correlate characteristic performance parameters to material properties are prone to fail when applied to organic devices. This is especially true for the classical Shockley-equation commonly used to describe current-voltage (JV)-curves, as it assumes a high electrical conductivity of the charge transporting material. Here, an analytical expression for the JV-curves of organic solar cells is derived based on a previously published analytical model. This expression, bearing a similar functional dependence as the Shockley-equation, delivers a new figure of merit α to express the balance between free charge recombination and extraction in low mobility photoactive materials. This figure of merit is shown to determine critical device parameters such as the apparent series resistance and the fill factor.
T3  - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 225 
KW  - Electronic and spintronic devices
KW  - Semiconductors
Y1  - 2016
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-91414
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kurpiers, Jona
A1  - Neher, Dieter
T1  - Dispersive Non-Geminate Recombination in an Amorphous Polymer:Fullerene Blend
JF  - Scientific reports
N2  - Recombination of free charge is a key process limiting the performance of solar cells. For low mobility materials, such as organic semiconductors, the kinetics of non-geminate recombination (NGR) is strongly linked to the motion of charges. As these materials possess significant disorder, thermalization of photogenerated carriers in the inhomogeneously broadened density of state distribution is an unavoidable process. Despite its general importance, knowledge about the kinetics of NGR in complete organic solar cells is rather limited. We employ time delayed collection field (TDCF) experiments to study the recombination of photogenerated charge in the high-performance polymer:fullerene blend PCDTBT:PCBM. NGR in the bulk of this amorphous blend is shown to be highly dispersive, with a continuous reduction of the recombination coefficient throughout the entire time scale, until all charge carriers have either been extracted or recombined. Rapid, contact-mediated recombination is identified as an additional loss channel, which, if not properly taken into account, would erroneously suggest a pronounced field dependence of charge generation. These findings are in stark contrast to the results of TDCF experiments on photovoltaic devices made from ordered blends, such as P3HT:PCBM, where non-dispersive recombination was proven to dominate the charge carrier dynamics under application relevant conditions.
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1038/srep26832
SN  - 2045-2322
VL  - 6
PB  - Nature Publishing Group
CY  - London
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Neher, Dieter
A1  - Kniepert, Juliane
A1  - Elimelech, Arik
A1  - Koster, L. Jan Anton
T1  - A New Figure of Merit for Organic Solar Cells with Transport-limited Photocurrents
JF  - Scientific reports
N2  - Compared to their inorganic counterparts, organic semiconductors suffer from relatively low charge carrier mobilities. Therefore, expressions derived for inorganic solar cells to correlate characteristic performance parameters to material properties are prone to fail when applied to organic devices. This is especially true for the classical Shockley-equation commonly used to describe current-voltage (JV)-curves, as it assumes a high electrical conductivity of the charge transporting material. Here, an analytical expression for the JV-curves of organic solar cells is derived based on a previously published analytical model. This expression, bearing a similar functional dependence as the Shockley-equation, delivers a new figure of merit α to express the balance between free charge recombination and extraction in low mobility photoactive materials. This figure of merit is shown to determine critical device parameters such as the apparent series resistance and the fill factor.
KW  - Electronic and spintronic devices
KW  - Semiconductors
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1038/srep24861
SN  - 2045-2322
VL  - 6
PB  - Nature Publishing Group
CY  - London
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Ilnytskyi, Jaroslav
A1  - Saphiannikova, Marina
A1  - Neher, Dieter
T1  - Photo-induced deformations in azobenzene-containing side-chain polymers : molecular dynamics study
N2  - We perform molecular dynamics simulations of azobenzene containing side-chain liquid crystalline polymer subject to an external model field that mimicks the reorientations of the azobenzenes upon irradiation with polarized light. The smectic phase of the polymer is studied with the field applied parallel to the nematic director, forcing the trans isomers to reorient perpendicularly to the field (the direction of which can be assosiated with the light polarization). The coupling between the reorientation of azobenzenes and mechanical deformation of the sample is found to depend on the field strength. In a weak field the original smectic order is melted gradually with no apparent change in the simulation box shape, whereas in a strong field two regimes are observed. During the first one a rapid melting of the liquid crystalline order is accompanied by the contraction of the polymer along the field direction (the effect similar to the one observed experimentally in azopenzene containing elastomers). During the slower second regime, the smectic layers are rebuilt to accomodate the preferential direction of chromophores perperdicular to the field.
Y1  - 2006
UR  - http://www.icmp.lviv.ua/journal/Contents.html
SN  - 1607-324X
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kietzke, Thomas
A1  - Horhold, H. H.
A1  - Neher, Dieter
T1  - Efficient polymer solar cells based on M3EH-PPV
N2  - We report on polymer blend solar cells with an external quantum efficiency of more than 30% and a hi-h overall energy conversion efficiency (ECE) under white light illumination (100 mW/cm(2)) Of Lip to 1.7% using a blend of M3EH- PPV (poly [2,5-dimethoxy-1,4-phenylene-1,2-ethenylene-2-methoxy-5(2-ethylhexyloxy)-(1,4-pheiiylene-1,2-ethenylene)]) and CN-ether-PPV (poly[oxa-1,4-phenylene-1,2(1-cyano)ethenylene-2,5-dioctyloxy-1,4-phenylene-1,2-(2-cyano)ethellyiene-1,4- phenylene]). We attribute these high efficiencies to the formation of a vertically composition graded structure during spin coating Photoluminescence measurements performed on the blend layers indicated the formation of exciplexes between both types of polymers, which we propose to be one factor preventing even higher efficiencies
Y1  - 2005
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Yang, Xiaohui
A1  - Müller, David C.
A1  - Neher, Dieter
A1  - Meerholz, Klaus
T1  - Highly efficient polymeric electrophosphorescent diodes
N2  - Polymeric electrophosphorescent LEDs with internal quantum efficiencies approaching unity have been fabricated. Such performance levels are previously unknown for OLEDs. The key to this success is redox chemically doped oxetane- crosslinkable hole-transporting layers with multilayer capability (see figure). They improve hole injection and act as electron-blocking layers, without the need to include exciton-or hole-blocking layers
Y1  - 2006
UR  - 1960 = DOI: 10.1002/adma.200501867
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Egbe, D. A. M.
A1  - Carbonnier, B.
A1  - Paul, E. L.
A1  - Muhlbacher, D.
A1  - Kietzke, Thomas
A1  - Birckner, Eckhard
A1  - Neher, Dieter
A1  - Grummt, U. W.
A1  - Pakula, T.
T1  - Diyne-containing PPVs : Solid-state properties and comparison of their photophysical and electrochemical properties with those of their Yne-containing counterparts
N2  - Diyne-containing poly(p-phenylene-vinylene)s, 4a-d, of general chemical structure-(Ph-C&3bond; C-C&3bond; C-Ph- CH&3bond; CH-Ph-CH&3bond; CH-)(n), obtained through polycondensation reactions of 1,4-bis(4-formyl-2,5-dioctyloxyphenyl)- buta-1,3-diyne (2) with various 2,5-dialkoxy-p-xylylenebis(diethylphosphonates), 3a-d, are the subject of this report. The polymers exhibit great disparity in their degree of polymerization, n, which might be ascribed to side-chain-related differences in reactivity of the reactive species during the polycondensation process and which led to n-dependent absorption (solution and solid state) and emission (solution) behaviors of the polymers. Polarizing optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry are employed to probe their thermal behavior. The structure is investigated by means of wide-angle X-ray diffraction for both isotropic and macroscopically oriented samples. Comparison of photophysical (experimental and theoretical) and electrochemical properties of the polymers with those of their yne- containing counterparts 6a-d [-(Ph-C&3bond; C-Ph-CH&3bond; CH-Ph-CH&3bond; CH-)(n)] has been carried out. Similar photophysical behavior was observed for both types of polymers despite the difference in backbone conjugation pattern. The introduction of a second yne unit in 4 lowers the HOMO and LUMO levels, thereby enhancing the electron affinity of polymers 4 compared to polymers 6. The "wider opening" introduced by the second yne unit facilitates moreover the movement of charges during the electrochemical processes leading to minimal discrepancy, Delta E-g between the optical and electrochemical band gap energies. Polymers 6, in contrast, show significant side-chain-dependent Delta E-g values. Low turn-on voltages between 2 and 3 V and maximal luminous efficiencies between 0.32 and 1.25 cd/A were obtained from LED devices of configuration ITO/PEDOT:PSS/polymer 4/Ca/Al
Y1  - 2005
SN  - 0024-9297
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Egbe, D. A. M.
A1  - Ulbricht, C.
A1  - Orgis, Thomas
A1  - Carbonnier, B.
A1  - Kietzke, Thomas
A1  - Peip, M.
A1  - Metzner, M.
A1  - Gericke, M.
A1  - Birckner, Eckhard
A1  - Pakula, T.
A1  - Neher, Dieter
A1  - Grumm, U. W.
T1  - Odd-even effects and the influence of length and specific positioning of alkoxy side chains on the optical properties of PPE-PPV polymers
N2  - This contribution reports the combined influences of odd-even effects and the specific positioning of alkoxy side chains OR1 = (OCn+H-10(2(n+10)+1)) and OR2 = (OCnH2n+1) (with n = 6, 7, 8, 9) on the phenylene-ethynylene and phenylene- vinylene segments, respectively, on the optical properties of hybrid polymers P(n+10)/n of general repeating unit: -Ph-C equivalent to C-Ph-C equivalent to C-Ph-CH=CH-Ph-CH=CH-. For the polymeric materials, visual color impression varies alternatively between orange red (P16/6 and P18/8) and yellow (P17/7 and P19/9) according to the odd and even features of the alkoxy side chains, where odd or even relates to the total number of sp(3)-hybridized atoms within the side chains. This side chain related effect is ascribed to both absorptive and emissive behaviors of the polymers on the basis of photophysical investigations in the bulk. Almost identical thin film absorption spectra were obtained for all four materials; however, the photoluminescence of the odd polymers, P16/6 (lambda(f) = 556 nm) and P18/ 8 (lambda(f) = 614 nm), was red-shifted relative to that of their even counterparts (lambda(f) = 535 nm). Further, the P18/8 maximum at 614 nm can be readily assigned to excimer emission, as evidenced by the largest Stokes shift (5600 cm(- 1)), largest fwhmf-value (3700 cm(-1))(,) and the lowest Phi(f)-value of 24%. The strong pi-pi interchain interaction in P18/8, due to loose alkoxy side chains packing, does not only favor fluorescence quenching but also enable an effective inter- as well as intra-molecular recombination of the generated positive and negative polarons in electrolurninescence, which explains the good EL properties of this polymer irrespective of the solvent used. A voltage-dependent blue shift of the EL spectra of up to 100 nm was observed for P18/8 devices prepared from aromatic solvents. This red to green EL shift as observed with increasing voltage is assigned to conformational changes of the polymer chains with increasing temperature
Y1  - 2005
SN  - 0897-4756
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kurpiers, Jona
A1  - Neher, Dieter
T1  - Dispersive Non-Geminate Recombination in an Amorphous Polymer: Fullerene Blend
JF  - Scientific reports
N2  - Recombination of free charge is a key process limiting the performance of solar cells. For low mobility materials, such as organic semiconductors, the kinetics of non-geminate recombination (NGR) is strongly linked to the motion of charges. As these materials possess significant disorder, thermalization of photogenerated carriers in the inhomogeneously broadened density of state distribution is an unavoidable process. Despite its general importance, knowledge about the kinetics of NGR in complete organic solar cells is rather limited. We employ time delayed collection field (TDCF) experiments to study the recombination of photogenerated charge in the high-performance polymer: fullerene blend PCDTBT:PCBM. NGR in the bulk of this amorphous blend is shown to be highly dispersive, with a continuous reduction of the recombination coefficient throughout the entire time scale, until all charge carriers have either been extracted or recombined. Rapid, contact-mediated recombination is identified as an additional loss channel, which, if not properly taken into account, would erroneously suggest a pronounced field dependence of charge generation. These findings are in stark contrast to the results of TDCF experiments on photovoltaic devices made from ordered blends, such as P3HT:PCBM, where non-dispersive recombination was proven to dominate the charge carrier dynamics under application relevant conditions.
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1038/srep26832
SN  - 2045-2322
VL  - 6
PB  - Nature Publ. Group
CY  - London
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kietzke, Thomas
A1  - Stiller, Burkhard
A1  - Landfester, Katharina
A1  - Montenegro, Rivelino V. D.
A1  - Neher, Dieter
T1  - Probing the local optical properties of layers prepared from polymer nanoparticles
N2  - It is well known that the performance of solar cells based on a blend of hole-accepting and electron-accepting conjugated polymers as the active material depend crucially on the length scale of the resulting phase separated morphology. However, a direct control of this morphology is difficult if the layer is prepared from an organic solvent. To circumvent this difficulty, recently a universal method to fabricate defined nano-structured blend layer using nanoparticles dispersed in water was demonstrated. These nanoparticles were prepared with the miniemulsion method, which allows for the preparation of semiconducting polymer nanospheres (SPNs) with diameters in the range of 30 to 300 nanometres. Since the process starts from the active material dissolved in a common solvent, it can be applied to the fabrication of nanoparticles of blends of polymers with oligomers or even with inorganic materials. We present here for the first time scanning near field optical microscopy (SNOM) investigations on these novel nanostructured polymer layers. We show that by spin-coating a mixture of two different dispersions a nanoparticle monolayer with a statistically distribution of the nanoparticles can be obtained. Mixing conjugated polymer nanoparticles with some inert particles like polystyrene beads may allow for the preparation of nano-sized light emitters
Y1  - 2005
SN  - 0379-6779
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Karageorgiev, Peter
A1  - Neher, Dieter
A1  - Schulz, Burkhard
A1  - Stiller, Burkhard
A1  - Pietsch, Ullrich
A1  - Giersig, Michael
A1  - Brehmer, Ludwig
T1  - From anisotropic photo-fluidity towards nanomanipulation in the optical near-field
N2  - An increase in random molecular vibrations of a solid owing to heating above the melting point leads to a decrease in its long-range order and a loss of structural symmetry. Therefore conventional liquids are isotropic media. Here we report on a light-induced isothermal transition of a polymer film from an isotropic solid to an anisotropic liquid state in which the degree of mechanical anisotropy can be controlled by light. Whereas during irradiation by circular polarized light the film behaves as an isotropic viscoelastic fluid, it shows considerable fluidity only in the direction parallel to the light field vector under linear polarized light. The fluidization phenomenon is related to photoinduced motion of azobenzene-functionalized molecular units, which can be effectively activated only when their transition dipole moments are oriented close to the direction of the light polarization. We also describe here how the photofluidization allows nanoscopic elements of matter to be precisely manipulated
Y1  - 2005
SN  - 1476-1122
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Mechau, Norman
A1  - Saphiannikova, Marina
A1  - Neher, Dieter
T1  - Dielectric and mechanical properties of azobenzene polymer layers under visible and ultraviolet irradiation
N2  - Photoinduced changes in the mechanical and dielectric properties of azobenzene polymer films were measured utilizing the method of electromechanical spectroscopy. The measurements revealed a strong correlation between the time- dependent behavior of the plate compliance and the dielectric constant under irradiation. Actinic light causes a light softening of the film that also manifests itself in the increase of the dielectric constant, whereas ultraviolet irradiation results in an initial plasticization of the film followed by its hardening. The latter is accompanied by decrease of the dielectric constant. A semiquantitative model based on the kinetics of the photoisomerization process in azobenzene polymers is proposed. We assume that both visible and ultraviolet irradiation increase the free volume in the layer due to photoisomerization. Additionally, ultraviolet light increases the modulus of the polymer matrix due to the presence of a high density of azobenzene moieties in the cis state. These assumptions allowed us to reproduce the time- dependent behavior of the bulk compliance as well as the dielectric constant at different irradiation intensities, for both visible and ultraviolet light, with only two adjustable parameters
Y1  - 2005
SN  - 0024-9297
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Egbe, D. A. M.
A1  - Kietzke, Thomas
A1  - Carbonnier, B.
A1  - Muhlbacher, D.
A1  - Horhold, H. H.
A1  - Neher, Dieter
A1  - Pakula, T.
T1  - Synthesis, characterization, and photophysical, electrochemical, electroluminescent, and photovoltaic properties of yne-containing CN-PPVs
N2  - Alkoxy-substituted CN-containing phenylene-vinylene-alt-phenylene-ethynylene hybrid polymers (CN-PPV-PPE), 3a, 3b, and 7a, were obtained from luminophoric dialdehydes 1 by step growth polymerization via Knoevenagel reaction as high molecular-weight materials. Corresponding CN-free polymers 3c and 7b and an ethynylene-free polymer 5 with similar side chains were synthesized for the purpose of comparison. The chemical structures of the polymers were confirmed by IR, H-1 and C-13 NMR, and elemental analysis. Thermal characterization was conducted by means of thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. Morphology was investigated by means of optical microscopy and small-angle light scattering. The final morphologies are determined by the molecular characteristics (side chains volume fraction, backbone stiffness) of the studied polymers. All the CN-containing polymers 3b, 5, and 7a exhibit higher fluorescence quantum yield in solid state (50 to 60%), but lower quantum yields (12-40%) in dilute chloroform solution, in total contrast to CN-free polymers 3c, 3d, and 7b. Identical optical, E-g(opt), and electrochemical band gap energies, E- g(ec), were obtained for 3b, 3c and 3d with intrinsic self-assembly ability, whereas a discrepancy, DeltaE(g), was observed in the cases of the fully substituted polymers 5, 7a, and 7b, whose values are dependent on the level of backbone stiffness and length of the side groups combined with the presence or absence of CN units. The incorporation of CN units in 3b and 7a lowers their respective LUMO level by 220 and 350 meV compared to their corresponding CN-free counterparts 3c and 7b, suggesting an improvement of the electron-accepting strength. Polymers 3b and 7a are efficient electron acceptors suitable for photovoltaic application. The experiments indicate that 3b is a better electron acceptor when used together with M3EH-PPV, but transport properties seem to be better for 7a. With 3b, high external quantum efficiencies of up to 23%, an open circuit voltage of up to 1.52 V, and a white light energy efficiency of 0.65% could be realized in bilayer solar cell devices. LED-devices of configuration ITO/PEDOT:PSS/polymer/Ca/Al from 3b, 3c, 7a, and 7b showed low turn-on voltages between 2 and 2.5 V. The CN-free polymers 3c and 7b exhibit far better EL parameters than their corresponding CN containing counterparts 3b and 7a
Y1  - 2004
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Zen, Achmad
A1  - Saphiannikova, Marina
A1  - Neher, Dieter
A1  - Asawapirom, Udom
A1  - Scherf, Ullrich
T1  - Comparative study of the field-effect mobility of a copolymer and a binary blend based on poly(3- alkylthiophene)s
N2  - The performance of highly soluble regioregular poly[ (3-hexylthiophene)-co-(3-octylthiophetie)] (P3HTOT) as a semiconducting material in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) is presented in comparison to that of the corresponding homopolymers. Transistors made from as-prepared layers of P3HTOT exhibit a mobility of ca. 7 x 10(-3) cm(2) V-1 s(-1), which is comparable to the performance of transistors made from as-prepared poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and almost 6 times larger than the mobility of transistors prepared with poly(3-octylthiophene) (P3OT). On the other hand, the solubility parameter delta(p) of P3HTOT is close to that of the highly soluble P3OT. Moreover, compared to a physical blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) and poly(3-octylthiophene), the mobility of P3HTOT devices is almost twice as large and the performance does not degrade upon annealing at elevated temperatures. Therefore, the copolymer approach outlined here may be one promising step toward an optimum balance between a Sufficient processability of the polymers from common organic solvents, a high solid state order, and applicable OFET performances
Y1  - 2005
SN  - 0897-4756
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kietzke, Thomas
A1  - Neher, Dieter
A1  - Kumke, Michael Uwe
A1  - Montenegro, Rivelino V. D.
A1  - Landfester, Katharina
A1  - Scherf, Ullrich
T1  - A nanoparticle approach to control the phase separation in polyfluorene photovoltaic devices
N2  - Polymer solar cell devices with nanostructured blend layers have been fabricated using single- and dual- component polymer nanospheres. Starting from an electron-donating and an electron-accepting polyfluorene derivative, PFB and F8BT, dissolved in suitable organic solvents, dispersions of solid particles with mean diameters of ca. 50 nm, containing either the pure polymer components or a mixture of PFB and F8BT in each particle, were prepared with the miniemulsion process. Photovoltaic devices based on these particles have been studied with respect to the correlation between external quantum efficiency and layer composition. It is shown that the properties of devices containing a blend of single-component PFB and F8BT particles differ significantly from those of solar cells based on blend particles, even for the same layer composition. Various factors determining the quantum efficiency in both kinds of devices are identified and discussed, taking into account the spectroscopic properties of the particles. An external quantum efficiency of ca. 4% is measured for a device made from polymer blend nanoparticles containing PFB:F8BT at a weight ratio of 1:2 in each individual nanosphere. This is among the highest values reported so far for photovoltaic cells using this material combination
Y1  - 2004
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bagnich, Sergey A.
A1  - Bassler, H.
A1  - Neher, Dieter
T1  - Sensitized phosphorescence of benzil-doped ladder-type methyl-poly(para-phenylene)
N2  - The delayed luminescence and phosphorescence of ladder-type methyl-poly(para-phenylene) (MeLPPP) doped with benzil at a concentration of 20% by weight has been measured. The introduction of benzil leads to a dramatic reduction of the polymer singlet emission. At the same time, a new band with maximum at 611 nm appears, corresponding to the phosphorescence of MeLPPP. The phosphorescence decay on the short time scale is close to an exponential law with a time decay of 15 ms. This indicates that benzil can efficiently sensitize the phosphorescence of the polymer. In addition, a broad and featureless emission is observed in the delayed luminescence spectra of benzil-doped MeLPPP, which is attributed to an exciplex formed between the polymer host and the dopant. We further observe that the delayed fluorescence is enhanced by the addition of benzil. It is concluded that the delayed fluorescence of benzil-doped MeLPPP is mainly due to the annihilation of triplet excitons on the polymer. Finally, efficient triplet-triplet energy transfer from the benzil-doped polymer to the red-emitting phosphorescent dye Pt(II)octaethylporphyrin is established. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics
Y1  - 2004
SN  - 0021-9606
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Saphiannikova, Marina
A1  - Neher, Dieter
T1  - Thermodynamic theory of light-induced material transport in amorphous azobenzene polymer films
N2  - It was discovered 10 years ago that the exposure of an initially flat layer of an azobenzene-containing polymer to an inhomogeneous light pattern leads to the formation of surface relief structures, accompanied by a mass transport over several micrometers. However, the driving force of this process is still unclear. We propose a new thermodynamic approach that explains a number of experimental findings including the light-induced deformation of free-standing films and the formation of surface relief gratings for main inscription geometries. Our basic assumption is that under homogeneous illumination, an initially isotropic sample should stretch itself along the polarization direction to compensate the entropy decrease produced by the photoinduced reorientation of azobenzene chromophores. The magnitude of the elastic stress, estimated by taking the derivative of the free energy over the sample deformation, is shown to be sufficient to induce plastic deformation of the polymer film. Orientational distributions of chromophores predicted by our model are compared with those deduced from Raman intensity measurements
Y1  - 2005
SN  - 1520-6106
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kulikovsky, Lazar
A1  - Neher, Dieter
A1  - Mecher, E.
A1  - Meerholz, Klaus
A1  - Horhold, H. H.
A1  - Ostroverkhova, O.
T1  - Photocurrent dynamics in a poly(phenylene vinylene)-based photorefractive composite
N2  - All parameters describing the charge carrier dynamics in a poly(phenylene vinylene)-based photorefractive (PR) composite relevant to PR grating dynamics were determined using photoconductivity studies under various illumination conditions. In particular, the values of the coefficients for trap filling and recombination of charges with ionized sensitizer molecules could be extracted independently. It is concluded that the PR growth time without preillumination is mostly determined by the competition between deep trap filling and recombination with ionized sensitizer molecules. Further, the pronounced increase in PR speed upon homogeneous preillumination (gating) as reported recently is quantitatively explained by deep trap filling
Y1  - 2004
SN  - 1098-0121
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bagnich, Sergey A.
A1  - Bassler, H.
A1  - Neher, Dieter
T1  - Exciton dynamics in ladder-type methyl-poly(para-phenylene) doped with phosphorescent dyes
N2  - The luminescence of a ladder-type methyl-poly(para-phenylene) (MeLPPP) doped with platinum-porphyrin dye PtOEP covering the concentration 10(-3)-5% by weight has been measured employing cw and transient techniques. Upon excitation into the range of absorption of the host, strong phosphorescence of the dopant is observed. Possible ways of populating the dopant triplet state are considered. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Y1  - 2005
SN  - 0022-2313
ER  -