Carbon-dot-supported silver nanoparticles boost polymer LED and solar cell performance

July 22, 2013
Ulsan, Korea--Researchers at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) say they have developed a plasmonic material that boosts performance of polymer LEDs (PLEDs) and polymer solar cells (PSCs) while keeping their structure simple and their costs low.

(Image: UNIST)

Ulsan, Korea--Researchers at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) say they have developed a plasmonic material that boosts performance of polymer LEDs (PLEDs) and polymer solar cells (PSCs) while keeping their structure simple and their costs low. The material consists of carbon-dot-supported silver (CD-Ag) nanoparticles, which produce a surface-plasmon-resonance effect that leads to increased radiative emission and light absorption.

Organic optoelectronic devices are cheaper to make than inorganic devices, but further improvements in efficiency are needed before there can be widespread commercialization of these technologies. Plasmonic nanoparticles can boost efficiency; however, the contrary demands of PLEDs and PSCs mean that there are few metal nanoparticles that can enhance performance in PLEDs and PSCs at the same time.

The material prepared by the UNIST team is easy to synthesize with basic equipment and has low-temperature solution processability, enabling roll-to-roll mass-production techniques suitable for printed electronic devices.

“Our work is significant also because it anticipates the realization of electrically driven laser devices by utilizing CD-Ag nanoparticles as plasmonic materials,” says Byeong-Su Kim, one of the researchers. (The CD-Ag nanoparticles consist of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen with a quasispherical structure in which the carbon shows the structure of crystalline graphite.)

The team demonstrated PLEDs that achieved high current efficiency from 11.65 to 27.16 cd/A and luminous efficiency (LE) from 6.33 to 18.54 lm/W. PSCs produced in this way showed enhanced power-conversion efficiency (PCE) from 7.53% to 8.31% and internal quantum efficiency (IQE) from 91% to 99% at 460 nm. The LE and IQE are among the highest values reported to date in fluorescent PLEDs and PSCs, respectively. THe research results were published in Nature Photonics.

Source: https://www.unist.ac.kr/index.sko

Sponsored Recommendations

SLP feature for lighting control available on cameras offering

Nov. 28, 2023
A proprietary structured light projector (SLP) feature is now available on the company’s camera series, including the ace 2, boost R, ace U, and ace L.

Chroma Customer Spotlight - Dr. David Warshaw, About his Lab

Nov. 27, 2023
David Warshaw, Professor and Chair of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Vermont (UVM), walks us through his lab. Learn about his lab’s work with the protein...

Catalog of Filters and Filter Sets

Nov. 27, 2023
This price list provides information about the filter sets Chroma Technology has created for the multitude of fluorochromes that are typically used in epi-fluorescence microscopy...

Handbook of Optical Filters for Fluorescence Microscopy

Nov. 27, 2023
Fluorescence microscopy requires optical filters that have demanding spectral and physical characteristics. These performance requirements can vary greatly depending on the specific...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Laser Focus World, create an account today!