Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Poly-3-Hexylthiophene Nanorods As A Donor For Organic Photovoltaics, Dharmesh Patel

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Poly-3-hexylthiophene functionalized silsesquioxane nanorods (P3HT-NRs) were prepared by direct hydrolysis and condensation of P3HT-silane precursor using the modified Stöber method. The silane precursor was stirred in a mixture of two solvents in the presence of a base under room temperature for three different reaction times. The size, shape, and morphology of these novel nanostructures were visualized using the transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The composition of the P3HT-NRs was confirmed by FTIR and its silane by proton NMR. Future work will focus on evaluating photovoltaic performance of these nanorods as a donor for organic photovoltaics.

On The Assembly Of Functionalized Cdse Nanorods, Sirinya Chantarak

Doctoral Dissertations

High aspect ratio (AR) CdSe nanorods (NRs) of well-defined sizes were synthesized to optimize the geometries of photovoltaic devices made from these nanorods. Long-range ordering of hexagonal arrays of high AR NRs is achieved by a combination of controlled solvent evaporation and the use of an applied electric field. Regioregular P3HT chains and oligothiophene were functionalized with ligating end-groups to provide contact to the NRs. Vertically oriented assemblies of CdSe NRs functionalized with terthiophene and polythiophene are also obtained. Hexagonal arrays of these nanocomposites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Three types of polythiophenes: poly(3-hexylthiol thiophene), poly(3-hexylamine thiophene), and …

A Method To Control Morphology Of Bhj Opvs Using End-Functionalized Poly(3-Hexylthiophene)(P3ht) Grafted To Sqds, William Michael Kochemba

Doctoral Dissertations

Improving the power conversion efficiency of organic photovoltaic devices based on polymer-nanoparticle bulk heterojunctions remains a significant challenge that limits the commercial production of these technologies. There are a number of factors that contribute to the efficiency of photovoltaic devices including absorption, charge generation and charge separation, which ultimately rely on the morphology of the bulk heterojunction active layer. My work aims to improve these processes by developing a method to prepare end-group functionalized π[pi]- conjugated polymers that will be used to decorate the surface of nanoparticles thereby tailoring the interface between the polymer and the nanoparticle. This work involves …

Investigation Of Energy Alignment Models At Polymer Interfaces, Wenfeng Wang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The presented study investigated the Induced Density of Interface States (IDIS) model at different polymer interfaces by using photoemission spectroscopy in combination with electrospray deposition.

In recent years, organic electronics have attracted considerable attention due to their advantages of low-cost and easy-fabrication. The performance of such devices crucially depends on the energy barrier that controls the interface charge transfer. A significant effort has been made to explore the mechanisms that determine the direction and magnitude of charge transfer barriers in these devices. As a result of this effort, the IDIS model was developed to predict the energy alignment at metal/organic …