Poly(styrene)/oligo(fluorene)-intercalated fluoromica hybrids: synthesis, characterization and self-assembly.

We report on the intercalation of a cationic fluorescent oligo(fluorene) in between the 2D interlayer region of a fluoromica type silicate. The formation of intercalated structures with different fluorophore contents is observed in powders by synchrotron radiation XRD. Successively, the hybrids are dispersed in poly(styrene) through in situ polymerization. Such a procedure allows us to synthesize the materials from solution, to achieve solid films, and to characterize them by optical and morphologic techniques. The polymeric films with homogeneous distribution of the hybrids exhibit ultraviolet-blue photoluminescence with a significantly enhanced photostability compared to the bare oligo(fluorene)s. Finally, under specific conditions, the polymer hybrid with higher oligo(fluorene) content spontaneously assembles into highly ordered microporous films.

Effect of lipid physical state of palm derivatives on ß-carotene bleaching.

This research was addressed to study the effect of lipid physical state on bleaching kinetics of ß-carotene. To this aim, ß-carotene was added to palm oil and palm stearin and the samples were stored at increasing temperatures allowing different degree of crystallization. Phase transition properties of palm derivatives were studied by differential scanning calorimetry and synchrotron X-ray diffraction, whereas ß-carotene bleaching kinetics were followed by measuring color changes. Bleaching proceeded at comparable rate in palm oil and palm stearin containing systems stored at 20 and -18 °C, whereas the color changes showed a maximum rate at 4 °C in palm stearin samples and at -7 °C in palm oil systems. Arrhenius plot clearly highlighted deviations from the linearity underlining the crucial role of lipid physical properties in determining the bleaching rate. The location and the compartmentalization of ß-carotene in the fat lattice could affect its chemical stability.

Grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction study of rubrene epitaxial thin films.

The growth of organic semiconductors as thin films with good and controlled electrical performances is nowadays one of the main tasks in the field of organic semiconductor-based electronic devices. In particular it is often required to grow highly crystalline and precisely oriented thin films. Here, thanks to grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction measurements carried out at the ELETTRA synchrotron facility, it is shown that rubrene thin films deposited by organic molecular beam epitaxy on the surface of tetracene single crystals have the structure of the known orthorhombic polymorph, with the (2 0 0) plane parallel to the substrate surface. Moreover, the exact epitaxial relationship between the film and the substrate crystalline structures is determined, demonstrating the presence of a unique in-plane orientation of the overlayer.

Enhanced Vertical Concentration Gradient in Rubbed P3HT:PCBM Graded Bilayer Solar Cells.

Graded bilayer solar cells have proven to be at least as efficient as the bulk heterojunctions when it comes to the Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) - [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) donor-acceptor system. However, control of the vertical concentration gradient using simple techniques has never been reported. We demonstrate that rubbing the P3HT layer prior to PCBM deposition induces major morphological changes in the active layer. Using the newly introduced energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy element mapping technique, we found that rubbing P3HT induces the formation of an ideal vertical donor-acceptor concentration gradient. Furthermore, the P3HT crystallites undergo a molecular reorientation from edge-on to face-on configuration inducing a better charge transport in the vertical direction. The combination of these two major morphological changes leads to the fabrication of high-performance solar cells that exhibit, to date, the record efficiencies for spin-coated graded bilayers solar cells.

Highly emissive nanostructured thin films of organic host-guests for energy conversion.

All-organic nanostructured host-guest systems, based on dyes inserted in the nanochannels of perhydrotriphenylene (PHTP) and deoxycholic acid (DCA), show enhanced fluorescence properties with quantum yields even higher than those of the dyes in solution, thanks to the high concentration of emissive molecules with controlled spatial and geometrical organization that prevents aggregation quenching. Both host molecules crystallize, growing with the long axis oriented along the direction of the nanochannels where the linear-chain dyes are inserted, to yield crystals emitting well-polarized light. For the DCA-based host-guests, homogeneous thin films suitable for several applications are obtained. Colour emission in such films can be tuned by co-inclusion of two or three dyes due to resonant energy-transfer processes. We show that films obtained by low-cost techniques, such as solution casting and spin-coating, convert UV light into visible light with an efficiency much higher than that of the standard polymeric blends.