Intrinsic glassy-metallic transport in an amorphous coordination polymer.

Conducting organic materials, such as doped organic polymers1, molecular conductors2,3 and emerging coordination polymers4, underpin technologies ranging from displays to flexible electronics5. Realizing high electrical conductivity in traditionally insulating organic materials necessitates tuning their electronic structure through chemical doping6. Furthermore, even organic materials that are intrinsically conductive, such as single-component molecular conductors7,8, require crystallinity for metallic behaviour. However, conducting polymers are often amorphous to aid durability and processability9. Using molecular design to produce high conductivity in undoped amorphous materials would enable tunable and robust conductivity in many applications10, but there are no intrinsically conducting organic materials that maintain high conductivity when disordered. Here we report an amorphous coordination polymer, Ni tetrathiafulvalene tetrathiolate, which displays markedly high electronic conductivity (up to 1,200 S cm-1) and intrinsic glassy-metallic behaviour. Theory shows that these properties are enabled by molecular overlap that is robust to structural perturbations. This unusual set of features results in high conductivity that is stable to humid air for weeks, pH 0-14 and temperatures up to 140 °C. These findings demonstrate that molecular design can enable metallic conductivity even in heavily disordered materials, raising fundamental questions about how metallic transport can exist without periodic structure and indicating exciting new applications for these materials.

High-efficiency stretchable light-emitting polymers from thermally activated delayed fluorescence.

Stretchable light-emitting materials are the key components for realizing skin-like displays and optical biostimulation. All the stretchable emitters reported to date, to the best of our knowledge, have been based on electroluminescent polymers that only harness singlet excitons, limiting their theoretical quantum yield to 25%. Here we present a design concept for imparting stretchability onto electroluminescent polymers that can harness all the excitons through thermally activated delayed fluorescence, thereby reaching a near-unity theoretical quantum yield. We show that our design strategy of inserting flexible, linear units into a polymer backbone can substantially increase the mechanical stretchability without affecting the underlying electroluminescent processes. As a result, our synthesized polymer achieves a stretchability of 125%, with an external quantum efficiency of 10%. Furthermore, we demonstrate a fully stretchable organic light-emitting diode, confirming that the proposed stretchable thermally activated delayed fluorescence polymers provide a path towards simultaneously achieving desirable electroluminescent and mechanical characteristics, including high efficiency, brightness, switching speed and stretchability as well as low driving voltage.

Stimuli-Responsive Surface Ligands for Direct Lithography of Functional Inorganic Nanomaterials.

ConspectusColloidal nanocrystals (NCs) have emerged as a diverse class of materials with tunable composition, size, shape, and surface chemistry. From their facile syntheses to unique optoelectronic properties, these solution-processed nanomaterials are a promising alternative to materials grown as bulk crystals or by vapor-phase methods. However, the integration of colloidal nanomaterials in real-world devices is held back by challenges in making patterned NC films with the resolution, throughput, and cost demanded by device components and applications. Therefore, suitable approaches to pattern NCs need to be established to aid the transition from individual proof-of-concept NC devices to integrated and multiplexed technological systems.In this Account, we discuss the development of stimuli-sensitive surface ligands that enable NCs to be patterned directly with good pattern fidelity while retaining desirable properties. We focus on rationally selected ligands that enable changes in the NC dispersibility by responding to light, electron beam, and/or heat. First, we summarize the fundamental forces between colloidal NCs and discuss the principles behind NC stabilization/destabilization. These principles are applied to understanding the mechanisms of the NC dispersibility change upon stimuli-induced ligand modifications. Six ligand-based patterning mechanisms are introduced: ligand cross-linking, ligand decomposition, ligand desorption, in situ ligand exchange, ion/ligand binding, and ligand-aided increase of ionic strength. We discuss examples of stimuli-sensitive ligands that fall under each mechanism, including their chemical transformations, and address how these ligands are used to pattern either sterically or electrostatically stabilized colloidal NCs. Following that, we explain the rationale behind the exploration of different types of stimuli, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each stimulus.We then discuss relevant figures-of-merit that should be considered when choosing a particular ligand chemistry or stimulus for patterning NCs. These figures-of-merit pertain to either the pattern quality (e.g., resolution, edge and surface roughness, layer thickness), or to the NC material quality (e.g., photo/electro-luminescence, electrical conductivity, inorganic fraction). We outline the importance of these properties and provide insights on optimizing them. Both the pattern quality and NC quality impact the performance of patterned NC devices such as field-effect transistors, light-emitting diodes, color-conversion pixels, photodetectors, and diffractive optical elements. We also give examples of proof-of-concept patterned NC devices and evaluate their performance. Finally, we provide an outlook on further expanding the chemistry of stimuli-sensitive ligands, improving the NC pattern quality, progress toward 3D printing, and other potential research directions. Ultimately, we hope that the development of a patterning toolbox for NCs will expedite their implementation in a broad range of applications.

Direct Heat-Induced Patterning of Inorganic Nanomaterials.

Patterning functional inorganic nanomaterials is an important process for advanced manufacturing of quantum dot (QD) electronic and optoelectronic devices. This is typically achieved by inkjet printing, microcontact printing, and photo- and e-beam lithography. Here, we investigate a different patterning approach that utilizes local heating, which can be generated by various sources, such as UV-, visible-, and IR-illumination, or by proximity heat transfer. This direct thermal lithography method, termed here heat-induced patterning of inorganic nanomaterials (HIPIN), uses colloidal nanomaterials with thermally unstable surface ligands. We designed several families of such ligands and investigated their chemical and physical transformations responsible for heat-induced changes of nanocrystal solubility. Compared to traditional photolithography using photochemical surface reactions, HIPIN extends the scope of direct optical lithography toward longer wavelengths of visible (532 nm) and infrared (10.6 µm) radiation, which is necessary for patterning optically thick layers (e.g., 1.2 µm) of light-absorbing nanomaterials. HIPIN enables patterning of features defined by the diffraction-limited beam size. Our approach can be used for direct patterning of metal, semiconductor, and dielectric nanomaterials. Patterned semiconductor QDs retain the majority of their as-synthesized photoluminescence quantum yield. This work demonstrates the generality of thermal patterning of nanomaterials and provides a new path for additive device manufacturing using diverse colloidal nanoscale building blocks.

Direct Optical Lithography of Colloidal Metal Oxide Nanomaterials for Diffractive Optical Elements with 2π Phase Control.

Spatially patterned dielectric materials are ubiquitous in electronic, photonic, and optoelectronic devices. These patterns are typically made by subtractive or additive approaches utilizing vapor-phase reagents. On the other hand, recent advances in solution-phase synthesis of oxide nanomaterials have unlocked a materials library with greater compositional, microstructural, and interfacial tunability. However, methods to pattern and integrate these nanomaterials in real-world devices are less established. In this work, we directly optically pattern oxide nanoparticles (NPs) by mixing them with photosensitive diazo-2-naphthol-4-sulfonic acid and irradiating with widely available 405 nm light. We demonstrate the direct optical lithography of ZrO2, TiO2, HfO2, and ITO NPs and investigate the chemical and physical changes responsible for this photoinduced decrease in solubility. Micron-thick layers of amorphous ZrO2 NPs were patterned with micron resolution and shown to allow 2π phase control of visible light. We also show multilayer patterning and use it to fabricate features with different thicknesses and distinct structural colors. Upon annealing at 400 °C, the deposited ZrO2 structures have excellent optical transparency across a wide wavelength range (0.3-10 µm), a high refractive index (n = 1.84 at 633 nm), and are optically smooth. We then fabricate diffractive optical elements, such as binary phase diffraction gratings, that show efficient diffractive behavior and good thermal stability. Different oxide NPs can also be mixed prior to patterning, providing a high level of material tunability. This work demonstrates a general patterning approach that harnesses the processability and diversity of colloidal oxide nanomaterials for use in photonic applications.

Metal halide perovskite light emitters.

Twenty years after layer-type metal halide perovskites were successfully developed, 3D metal halide perovskites (shortly, perovskites) were recently rediscovered and are attracting multidisciplinary interest from physicists, chemists, and material engineers. Perovskites have a crystal structure composed of five atoms per unit cell (ABX3) with cation A positioned at a corner, metal cation B at the center, and halide anion X at the center of six planes and unique optoelectronic properties determined by the crystal structure. Because of very narrow spectra (full width at half-maximum ≤20 nm), which are insensitive to the crystallite/grain/particle dimension and wide wavelength range (400 nm ≤ λ ≤ 780 nm), perovskites are expected to be promising high-color purity light emitters that overcome inherent problems of conventional organic and inorganic quantum dot emitters. Within the last 2 y, perovskites have already demonstrated their great potential in light-emitting diodes by showing high electroluminescence efficiency comparable to those of organic and quantum dot light-emitting diodes. This article reviews the progress of perovskite emitters in two directions of bulk perovskite polycrystalline films and perovskite nanoparticles, describes current challenges, and suggests future research directions for researchers to encourage them to collaborate and to make a synergetic effect in this rapidly emerging multidisciplinary field.

Organic nanowire fabrication and device applications.

Organic nanowires (ONWs) are flexible, stretchable, and have good electrical properties, and therefore have great potential for use in next-generation textile and wearable electronics. Analysis of trends in ONWs supports their great potential for various stretchable and flexible electronic applications such as flexible displays and flexible photovoltaics. Numerous methods can be used to prepare ONWs, but the practical industrial application of ONWs has not been achieved because of the lack of reliable techniques for controlling and patterning of individual nanowires. Therefore, an "individually controllable" technique to fabricate ONWs is essential for practical device applications. In this paper, three types of fabrication methods of ONWs are reviewed: non-alignment methods, massive-alignment methods, and individual-alignment methods. Recent research on electronic and photonic device applications of ONWs is then reviewed. Finally, suggestions for future research are put forward.

N-doped graphene field-effect transistors with enhanced electron mobility and air-stability.

Although graphene can be easily p-doped by various adsorbates, developing stable n-doped graphene that is very useful for practical device applications is a difficult challenge. We investigated the doping effect of solution-processed (4-(1,3-dimethyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoimidazol-2-yl)phenyl)dimethylamine (N-DMBI) on chemical-vapor-deposited (CVD) graphene. Strong n-type doping is confirmed by Raman spectroscopy and the electrical transport characteristics of graphene field-effect transistors. The strong n-type doping effect shifts the Dirac point to around -140 V. Appropriate annealing at a low temperature of 80 ºC enables an enhanced electron mobility of 1150 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1). The work function and its uniformity on a large scale (1.2 mm × 1.2 mm) of the doped surface are evaluated using ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and Kelvin probe mapping. Stable electrical properties are observed in a device aged in air for more than one month.

Direct photocatalytic patterning of colloidal emissive nanomaterials.

We present a universal direct photocatalytic patterning method that can completely preserve the optical properties of perovskite nanocrystals (PeNCs) and other emissive nanomaterials. Solubility change of PeNCs is achieved mainly by a photoinduced thiol-ene click reaction between specially tailored surface ligands and a dual-role photocatalytic reagent, pentaerythritol tetrakis(3-mercaptopropionate) (PTMP), where the thiol-ene reaction is enabled at a low light intensity dose (~ 30 millijoules per square centimeter) by the strong photocatalytic activity of PeNCs. The photochemical reaction mechanism was investigated using various analyses at each patterning step. The PTMP also acts as a defect passivation agent for the PeNCs and even enhances their photoluminescence quantum yield (by ~5%) and photostability. Multicolor patterns of cesium lead halide (CsPbX3)PeNCs were fabricated with high resolution (<1 micrometer). Our method is widely applicable to other classes of nanomaterials including colloidal cadmium selenide-based and indium phosphide-based quantum dots and light-emitting polymers; this generality provides a nondestructive and simple way to pattern various functional materials and devices.

Strategies for chemical vapor deposition of two-dimensional organic-inorganic halide perovskites.

Two-dimensional (2D) organic-inorganic halide perovskites (OIHPs) with an alternating stacked structure of an organic layer and an inorganic layer draw significant attention for photovoltaics, multiple quantum-well, and passivation of three-dimensional perovskites. Although the low-cost and simple spin-coating process of these materials offers a vast platform to study fundamental properties and help them achieve rapid progress in electronics and optoelectronics, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth is also necessary for large-area, epitaxial, selective, and conformal growth. Here, one-step CVD strategies for 2D OIHP growth are proposed, and the growth trends depending on the precursor and substrate conditions are discussed. We report a CVD-grown nontoxic, lead-free 2D tin-OIHP flake to show the system offering a universal route to synthesize perovskite crystals based on arbitrary organic and inorganic components.

Direct Optical Patterning of Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes via In Situ Ligand Exchange.

Precise patterning of quantum dot (QD) layers is an important prerequisite for fabricating QD light-emitting diode (QLED) displays and other optoelectronic devices. However, conventional patterning methods cannot simultaneously meet the stringent requirements of resolution, throughput, and uniformity of the pattern profile while maintaining a high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of the patterned QD layers. Here, a specially designed nanocrystal ink is introduced, "photopatternable emissive nanocrystals" (PENs), which satisfies these requirements. Photoacid generators in the PEN inks allow photoresist-free, high-resolution optical patterning of QDs through photochemical reactions and in situ ligand exchange in QD films. Various fluorescence and electroluminescence patterns with a feature size down to ≈1.5 µm are demonstrated using red, green, and blue PEN inks. The patterned QD films maintain ≈75% of original PLQY and the electroluminescence characteristics of the patterned QLEDs are comparable to thopse of non-patterned control devices. The patterning mechanism is elucidated by in-depth investigation of the photochemical transformations of the photoacid generators and changes in the optical properties of the QDs at each patterning step. This advanced patterning method provides a new way for additive manufacturing of integrated optoelectronic devices using colloidal QDs.

Improving the Stability of Metal Halide Perovskite Materials and Light-Emitting Diodes.

Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have numerous advantages as light emitters such as high photoluminescence quantum efficiency with a direct bandgap, very narrow emission linewidth, high charge-carrier mobility, low energetic disorder, solution processability, simple color tuning, and low material cost. Based on these advantages, MHPs have recently shown unprecedented radical progress (maximum current efficiency from 0.3 to 42.9 cd A-1 ) in the field of light-emitting diodes. However, perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) suffer from intrinsic instability of MHP materials and instability arising from the operation of the PeLEDs. Recently, many researchers have devoted efforts to overcome these instabilities. Here, the origins of the instability in PeLEDs are reviewed by categorizing it into two types: instability of (i) the MHP materials and (ii) the constituent layers and interfaces in PeLED devices. Then, the strategies to improve the stability of MHP materials and PeLEDs are critically reviewed, such as A-site cation engineering, Ruddlesden-Popper phase, suppression of ion migration with additives and blocking layers, fabrication of uniform bulk polycrystalline MHP layers, and fabrication of stable MHP nanoparticles. Based on this review of recent advances, future research directions and an outlook of PeLEDs for display applications are suggested.

High-Efficiency Polycrystalline Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Mixed Cations.

We have achieved high-efficiency polycrystalline perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) based on formamidinium (FA) and cesium (Cs) mixed cations without quantum dot synthesis. Uniform single-phase FA1- xCs xPbBr3 polycrystalline films were fabricated by one-step formation with various FA:Cs molar proportions; then the influences of chemical composition on film morphology, crystal structure, photoluminescence (PL), and electroluminescence (EL) were systematically investigated. Incorporation of Cs+ cations in FAPbBr3 significantly reduced the average grain size (to 199 nm for FA:Cs = 90:10) and trap density; these changes consequently increased PL quantum efficiency (PLQE) and PL lifetime of FA1- xCs xPbBr3 films and current efficiency (CE) of PeLEDs. Further increase in Cs molar proportion from 10 mol % decreased crystallinity and purity, increased trap density, and correspondingly decreased PLQE, PL lifetime, and CE. Incorporation of Cs also increased photostability of FA1- xCs xPbBr3 films, possibly due to suppressed formation of light-induced metastable states. FA1- xCs xPbBr3 PeLEDs show the maximum CE = 14.5 cd A-1 at FA:Cs = 90:10 with very narrow EL spectral width (21-24 nm); this is the highest CE among FA-Cs-based PeLEDs reported to date. This work provides an understanding of the influences of Cs incorporation on the chemical, structural, and luminescent properties of FAPbBr3 polycrystalline films and a breakthrough to increase the efficiency of FA1- xCs xPbBr3 PeLEDs.

Polaronic Charge Carrier-Lattice Interactions in Lead Halide Perovskites.

Almost ten years after the renaissance of the popular perovskite-type semiconductors based on lead salts with the general formula AMX3 (A=organic or inorganic cation; M=divalent metal; X=halide), many facets of photophysics continue to puzzle researchers. In this Minireview, light is shed on the low mobilities of charge carriers in lead halide perovskites with special focus on the lattice properties at non-zero temperature. The polar and soft lattice leads to pronounced electron-phonon coupling, limiting carrier mobility and retarding recombination. We propose that the proper picture of excited charge carriers at temperature ranges that are relevant for device operations is that of a polaron, with Fröhlich coupling constants between 1<α<3. Under the aspect of light-emitting diode application, APbX3 perovskite show moderate second order (bimolecular) recombination rates and high third-order (Auger) rate constants. It has become apparent that this is a direct consequence of the anisotropic polar A-site cation in organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites and might be alleviated by replacing the organic moiety with an isotropic cation.

High-Efficiency Solution-Processed Inorganic Metal Halide Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes.

This paper reports highly bright and efficient CsPbBr3 perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) fabricated by simple one-step spin-coating of uniform CsPbBr3 polycrystalline layers on a self-organized buffer hole injection layer and stoichiometry-controlled CsPbBr3 precursor solutions with an optimized concentration. The PeLEDs have maximum current efficiency of 5.39 cd A-1 and maximum luminance of 13752 cd m-2 . This paper also investigates the origin of current hysteresis, which can be ascribed to migration of Br- anions. Temperature dependence of the electroluminescence (EL) spectrum is measured and the origins of decreased spectrum area, spectral blue-shift, and linewidth broadening are analyzed systematically with the activation energies, and are related with Br- anion migration, thermal dissociation of excitons, thermal expansion, and electron-phonon interaction. This work provides simple ways to improve the efficiency and brightness of all-inorganic polycrystalline PeLEDs and improves understanding of temperature-dependent ion migration and EL properties in inorganic PeLEDs.

Highly Efficient Light-Emitting Diodes of Colloidal Metal-Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals beyond Quantum Size.

Colloidal metal-halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs) with a dimension less than the exciton Bohr diameter DB (quantum size regime) emerged as promising light emitters due to their spectrally narrow light, facile color tuning, and high photoluminescence quantum efficiency (PLQE). However, their size-sensitive emission wavelength and color purity and low electroluminescence efficiency are still challenging aspects. Here, we demonstrate highly efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on the colloidal perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) in a dimension > DB (regime beyond quantum size) by using a multifunctional buffer hole injection layer (Buf-HIL). The perovskite NCs with a dimension greater than DB show a size-irrespective high color purity and PLQE by managing the recombination of excitons occurring at surface traps and inside the NCs. The Buf-HIL composed of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and perfluorinated ionomer induces uniform perovskite particle films with complete film coverage and prevents exciton quenching at the PEDOT:PSS/perovskite particle film interface. With these strategies, we achieved a very high PLQE (∼60.5%) in compact perovskite particle films without any complex post-treatments and multilayers and a high current efficiency of 15.5 cd/A in the LEDs of colloidal perovskite NCs, even in a simplified structure, which is the highest efficiency to date in green LEDs that use colloidal organic-inorganic metal-halide perovskite nanoparticles including perovskite QDs and NCs. These results can help to guide development of various light-emitting optoelectronic applications based on perovskite NCs.

Highly Efficient, Simplified, Solution-Processed Thermally Activated Delayed-Fluorescence Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

Highly efficient, simplified, solution-processed thermally activated delayed-fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes can be realized by using pure-organic thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitters and a multifunctional buffer hole-injection layer, in which high EQE (≈24%) and current efficiency (≈73 cd A(-1) ) are demonstrated. High-efficiency fluorescence red-emitting and blue-emitting devices can also be fabricated in this manner.

Artificial Synapses: Organometal Halide Perovskite Artificial Synapses (Adv. Mater. 28/2016).

A synapse-emulating electronic device based on organometal halide perovskite thin films is described by T.-W. Lee and co-workers on page 5916. The device successfully emulates important characteristics of a biological synapse. This work extends the application of organometal halide perovskites to bioinspired electronic devices, and contributes to the development of neuromorphic electronics.

Organometal Halide Perovskite Artificial Synapses.

Organometal halide perovskite synaptic devices are fabricated; they emulate important working principles of a biological synapse, including excitatory postsynaptic current, paired-pulse facilitation, short-term plasticity, long-term plasticity, and spike-timing dependent plasticity. These properties originate from possible ion migration in the ion-rich perovskite matrix. This work has extensive applicability and practical significance in neuromorphic electronics.