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Title: Light-induced dilation in nanosheets of charge-transfer complexes

Journal Article · · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [2];  [1]
  1. State Univ. of New York (SUNY), Buffalo, NY (United States)
  2. Temple Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States)
  3. Nanjing Univ. (China)
+ Show Author Affiliations

We observe a sizable photostrictive effect of 5.7% with fast, submillisecond response times, arising from a light-induced lattice dilation of a molecular nanosheet, composed of the molecular charge-transfer compound dibenzotetrathiafulvalene (DBTTF) and C60. An interfacial self-assembly approach is introduced for the thickness-controlled growth of the thin films. From photoabsorption measurements, molecular simulations, and electronic structure calculations, we suggest that photostriction within these films arises from a transformation in the molecular structure of constituent molecules upon photoinduced charge transfer, as well as the accommodation of free charge carriers within the material. Additionally, we find that the photostrictive properties of the nanosheets are thickness-dependent, a phenomenon that we suggest arises from surface-induced conformational disorder in the molecular components of the film. Moreover, because of the molecular structure in the films, which results largely from interactions between the constituent π-systems and the sulfur atoms of DBTTF, the optoelectronic properties are found to be anisotropic. This work enables the fabrication of 2D molecular charge-transfer nanosheets with tunable thicknesses and properties, suitable for a wide range of applications in flexible electronic technologies.

Research Organization:
Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Center for Complex Materials from First Principles (CCM); Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS); Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Center for the Computational Design of Functional Layered Materials (CCDM)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0012575; SC0017928
OSTI ID:
1434747
Journal Information:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 115, Issue 15; ISSN 0027-8424
Publisher:
National Academy of SciencesCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 16 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (4)

Organic Cocrystals: Beyond Electrical Conductivities and Field‐Effect Transistors (FETs) journal April 2019
Organic Cocrystals: Beyond Electrical Conductivities and Field‐Effect Transistors (FETs) journal July 2019
The Influence of Distant Boundaries on the Solvation of Charged Particles journal March 2019
Light enhanced moisture degradation of perovskite solar cell material CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 journal January 2019

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37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
charge transfer
self-assembling
2D nanosheets
photostriction
conformational disorder