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Long-lived charge carrier generation in ordered films of a covalent perylenediimide–diketopyrrolopyrrole–perylenediimide molecule

Journal Article · · Chemical Science
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/C4SC02551B· OSTI ID:1164941

The photophysics of a covalently linked perylenediimide–diketopyrrolopyrrole–perylenediimide acceptor–donor–acceptor molecule (PDI–DPP–PDI, 1) were investigated and found to be markedly different in solution versus in unannealed and solvent annealed films. Photoexcitation of 1 in toluene results in quantitative charge separation in τ = 3.1 ± 0.2 ps, with charge recombination in τ = 340 ± 10 ps, while in unannealed/disordered films of 1, charge separation occurs in τ < 250 fs, while charge recombination displays a multiexponential decay in ~6 ns. The absence of long-lived, charge separation in the disordered film suggests that few free charge carriers are generated. In contrast, upon CH₂Cl₂ vapor annealing films of 1, grazing-incidence X-ray scattering shows that the molecules form a more ordered structure. Photoexcitation of the ordered films results in initial formation of a spin-correlated radical ion pair (electron–hole pair) as indicated by magnetic field effects on the formation of free charge carriers which live for ~4 μs. This result has significant implications for the design of organic solar cells based on covalent donor–acceptor systems and shows that long-lived, charge-separated states can be achieved by controlling intramolecular charge separation dynamics in well-ordered systems.

Research Organization:
Advanced Photon Source (APS), Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357; FG02-99ER14999; AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1164941
Journal Information:
Chemical Science, Journal Name: Chemical Science Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 6; ISSN 2041-6520; ISSN CSHCBM
Publisher:
Royal Society of ChemistryCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH

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Cited By (11)

Organic 2D Optoelectronic Crystals: Charge Transport, Emerging Functions, and Their Design Perspective journal April 2018
Charge-Transfer Character in a Covalent Diketopyrrolopyrrole Dimer: Implications for Singlet Fission journal October 2017
Diketopyrrolopyrrole assembly into J -aggregates : Diketopyrrolopyrrole Assembly into journal March 2016
α-Benzyl-β-Alanine Containing Naphthalenediimide Promotes Photoresponsive Radical Anion journal September 2018
G-quadruplex organic frameworks journal December 2016
Stable radical anions generated from a porous perylenediimide metal-organic framework for boosting near-infrared photothermal conversion journal February 2019
Synthesis and investigation on optoelectronic properties of mesogenic triphenylene–perylene dyads linked by ethynylphenyl bridges journal January 2018
Control of the electrochemical and photophysical properties of N-substituted benzo[ghi]perylene derivatives journal January 2017
Syntheses and studies of electron/energy transfer of new dyads based on an unsymmetrical perylene diimide incorporating chelating 1,10-phenanthroline and its corresponding square-planar complexes with dichloroplatinum( ii ) and dichloropalladium( ii ) journal January 2018
Photoactive organic material discovery with combinatorial supramolecular assembly journal January 2019
Highly fluorescent free-standing films assembled from perylenediimide microcrystals for boosting aniline sensing journal January 2020

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