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Recently, III–V quantum dots (QDs) emerged as an environmentally friendly alternative to CdSe; however, they exhibit broader emission spectra and inferior photoluminescence quantum yield. Here, we ...

Here we report the syntheses of largely unexplored lead and bismuth chalcogenidometallates in the solution phase. Using N2H4 as the solvent, new compounds such as K6Pb3Te6·7N2H4 were obtained. These soluble molecular compounds underwent cation exchange processes using resin chemistry, replacing Na+ or K+ by decomposable N2H5+ or tetraethylammonium cations. They also transformed into stoichiometric lead and bismuth chalcogenide nanomaterials with the addition of metal salts. Such a versatile chemistry led to a variety of composition-matched solders to join lead and bismuth chalcogenides and tune their charge transport properties at the grain boundaries. Solution-processed thin films composed of Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 microparticles soldered by (N2H5)6Bi0.5Sb1.5Te6 exhibited thermoelectric power factors (∼28 μW/cm K2) comparable to those in vacuum-deposited Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 films. The soldering effect can also be integrated with attractive fabrication techniques for thermoelectric modules, such as screen printing, sugg...

Synthesis of colloidal nanocrystals (NC) of important arsenide nanomaterials (e.g., InAs, Cd3As2) has been limited by the lack of convenient arsenic precursors. Here we address this constraint by identifying a convenient and commercially available As precursor, tris-dimethylaminoarsine (As(NMe2)3), which can be used to prepare high quality InAs NCs with controlled size distributions. Our approach employs a reaction between InCl3 and As(NMe2)3 using diisobutylaluminum hydride (DIBAL-H) to convert As(NMe2)3 in situ into reactive intermediates AsHx(NMe2)3–x, where x = 1,2,3. NC size can be varied by changing DIBAL-H concentration and growth temperature, with colloidal solutions of InAs showing size dependent absorption and emission features tunable across wavelengths of 750 to 1450 nm. We also show that this approach works well for the colloidal synthesis of Cd3As2 NCs. By circumventing the preparation of notoriously unstable and dangerous arsenic precursors (e.g., AsH3 and As(SiMe3)3), this work improves th...

Several electron accepting polymers having weak accepting–strong accepting (WA-SA) and strong accepting–strong accepting (SA-SA) monomer alternation were synthesized for studies of structure/property relationship in all-polymer solar cells. Two kinds of cyclic amide monomers, 4,10-bis(2-butyloctyl)-thieno[2′,3′:5,6]pyrido[3,4-g]thieno-[3,2-c]isoquinoline-5,11-dione (TPTI) and 5,11-bis(2-butyloctyl)-thieno[2′,3′:4,5]pyrido[2,3-g]thieno[3,2-c]quinoline-4,10-dione (TPTQ), were synthesized as weak accepting monomers (WA). Difluorinated TPTQ (FTPTQ) and well-known perylene diimide (PDI) monomers were synthesized as strong electron accepting monomers (SA). By using 1-chloronaphthalene (CN) as a cosolvent, the morphology of the polymer blended films can be finely tuned to achieve better ordering toward face-on mode and favorable phase separation between electron donor and acceptor, resulting in significant enhancement of short circuit current (Jsc) and fill factor (FF). The fluorination in the TPTQ unit reduced ...

We study the formation of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) films from various liquid-phase precursors. Our experimental data point to the significant role that reactivities of precursor components play in the quality of the final material. Although reactive molecular precursors favor formation of CZTS under milder conditions, the formation of large crystalline domains requires using less reactive nanostructured precursors. We explain this effect using kinetics of nucleation and growth. We have also demonstrated a strategy to effectively enhance grain growth of CZTS using solid-state phase transition as the driving force for nanocrystal sintering. We hope this contribution will provide a useful guide toward the rational design of liquid-phase precursors for inorganic semiconductors for electronic and optoelectronic applications.

New electron withdrawing monomers, thieno[2′,3′:5′,6′]pyrido[3,4-g]thieno[3,2-c]isoquinoline-5,11(4H,10H)-dione (TPTI) and fluorenedicyclopentathiophene dimalononitrile (CN), have been developed and used to form 12 alternating polymers having different monomer combinations: (a) weak donating monomer–strong accepting monomer, (b) weak accepting monomer–strong accepting monomer, (c) weak accepting monomer–weak accepting monomer, and (d) strong donating monomer–strong accepting monomer. It was found that lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels of polymers are significantly determined by stronger electron accepting monomers and highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy levels by the weak electron accepting monomers. In addition, fluorescent quantum yields of the TPTI-based polymers in chloroform solution are significantly decreased as the LUMO energy levels of the TPTI series of polymers become deeper. The quantum yield was found to be closely related with the photovoltaic properties, ...

We propose a new type of surfactants, namely, tetrazole derivatives which can be controllably removed from the nanoparticle surface. Tetrazoles are a peculiar class of heterocyclic compounds. The presence of four nitrogen atoms in the tetrazole ring determines their interesting physical and chemical properties. Tetrazoles show high thermal stability below 200C while decomposing at higher temperature with formation of gaseous products and no or very little solid residue. Moreover, the tetrazole group is known as an important ligand in coordination chemistry. Its donor nitrogen atoms can bind to various metal ions leading to stable complexes with diverse coordination modes of the heteroring. We report the synthesis of CdS NPs capped with 1-R-5-thiotetrazoles using two different synthetic schemes: solution-phase and solventless single precursor approaches. In both synthetic procedures cadmium thiotetrazolates were used as cadmium precursors and sources of surfactant., 4 pages, 3 figures, 2 schemes, 1 table