An organic donor/acceptor lateral superlattice at the nanoscale

Nano Lett. 2007 Sep;7(9):2602-7. doi: 10.1021/nl070897z. Epub 2007 Jul 27.

Abstract

A precise control of the nanometer-scale morphology in systems containing mixtures of donor/acceptor molecules is a key factor to improve the efficiency of organic photovoltaic devices. Here we report on a scanning tunneling microscopy study of the first stages of growth of 2-[9-(1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene)anthracen-10(9H)-ylidene]-1,3-dithiole, as electron donor, and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester, as electron acceptor, on a Au(111) substrate under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. Due to differences in bonding strength with the substrate and different interactions with the Au(111) herringbone surface reconstruction, mixed thin films spontaneously segregate into a lateral superlattice of interdigitated nanoscale stripes with a characteristic width of about 10-20 nm, a morphology that has been predicted to optimize the efficiency of organic solar cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Crystallization / methods*
  • Electrochemistry / methods*
  • Electron Transport
  • Macromolecular Substances / chemistry
  • Materials Testing
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Nanostructures / chemistry*
  • Nanostructures / ultrastructure*
  • Nanotechnology / methods*
  • Organic Chemicals / chemistry*
  • Particle Size
  • Photochemistry / methods*
  • Semiconductors
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Macromolecular Substances
  • Organic Chemicals