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New organic semiconductors are essential for developing inexpensive, high-efficiency, solution-processable polymer solar cells (PSCs). PSC photoactive layers are typically fabricated by filmcasting a donor polymer and a fullerene acceptor blend, with ensuing solvent evaporation and phase separation creating discrete conduits for photogenerated holes and electrons. Until recently, n-type fullerene acceptors dominated the PSC literature; however, indacenodithienothiophene (IDTT)-based acceptors have recently enabled remarkable PSC performance metrics, for reasons that are not entirely obvious. We report two isomeric IDTT-based acceptors 3,9-bis(2-methylene-(3-(1,1-dicyanomethylene)-benz-(5, 6)indanone))-5,5,11,11-tetrakis(4-nonylphenyl)-dithieno[2,3-d:2',3'-d']- s-indaceno[1,2-b:5,6-b']di-thiophene (ITN-C9) and 3,9-bis(2-methylene- (3-(1,1-dicyanomethylene)-benz(6,7)indanone))-5,5,11,11-tetrakis (4-nonylphenyl)-dithieno[2,3-d:2',3'-d']-s-indaceno[1,2-b:5,6-b']dithiophene (ITzN-C9) that shed light on the exceptional IDTT properties vis-à-vis fullerenes. The neat acceptors and blends with fluoropolymer donor poly{[4,8-bis[5-(2- ethylhexyl)-4-fluoro-2-thienyl]benzo[1,2- b:4,5-b']dithiophene2,6-diyl]-alt-[2,5-thiophenediyl[5,7-bis(2-ethylhexyl)- 4,8-dioxo4H,8H-benzo[1,2-c:4,5-c']dithiophene-1,3-diyl]]} (PBDB-TF) are investigated by optical spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, photovoltaic response, space-charge-limited current transport, atomic forcemicroscopy, grazing incidencewide-angle X-ray scattering, and density functional theory-level quantum chemical analysis. The data reveal that ITN-C9 and ITzN-C9 organize such that the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital-rich end groups have intermolecular π-π distances as close as 3.31(1) Å, with electronic coupling integrals as large as 38 meV, and internal reorganization energies as small as 0.133 eV, comparable to or superior to those in fullerenes. ITNC9 and ITzN-C9 have broad solar-relevant optical absorption, and, when blended with PBDB-TF, afford devices with power conversion efficiencies near 10%. Performance differences between ITN-C9 and ITzN-C9 are understandable in terms of molecular and electronic structure distinctions via the influences on molecular packing and orientation with respect to the electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photonic crystals have been widely studied due to their broad technological applications in lasers, sensors, optical telecommunications, and display devices. Typically, photonic crystals are periodic structures of touching dielectric materials with alternating high and low refractive indices, and to date, the variables of interest have focused primarily on crystal symmetry and the refractive indices of the constituent materials, primarily polymers and semiconductors. In contrast, finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations suggest that plasmonic nanoparticle superlattices with spacer groups offer an alternative route to photonic crystals due to the controllable spacing of the nanoparticles and the high refractive index of the lattices, even far away from the plasmon frequency where losses are low. Herein, the stopband features of 13 Bravais lattices are characterized and compared, resulting in paradigm-shifting design principles for photonic crystals. Based on these design rules, a simple cubic structure with an ~130-nm lattice parameter is predicted to have a broad photonic stopband, a property confirmed by synthesizing the structure via DNA programmable assembly and characterizing it by reflectance measurements. We show through simulation that a maximum reflectance of more than 0.99 can be achieved in these plasmonic photonic crystals by optimizing the nanoparticle composition and structural parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-performance solution-processed organic semiconductors maintain macroscopic functionality even in the presence of microscopic disorder. Here we show that the functional robustness of certain organic materials arises from the ability of molecules to create connected mesoscopic electrical networks, even in the absence of periodic order. The hierarchical network structures of two families of important organic photovoltaic acceptors, functionalized fullerenes and perylene diimides, are analyzed using a newly developed graph methodology. The results establish a connection between network robustness and molecular topology, and also demonstrate that solubilizing moieties play a large role in disrupting the molecular networks responsible for charge transport. A clear link is established between the success of mono and bis functionalized fullerene acceptors in organic photovoltaics and their ability to construct mesoscopically connected electrical networks over length scales of 10 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photonic crystals have been widely studied due to their broad technological applications in lasers, sensors, optical telecommunications, and display devices. Typically, photonic crystals are periodic structures of touching dielectric materials with alternating high and low refractive indices, and to date, the variables of interest have focused primarily on crystal symmetry and the refractive indices of the constituent materials, primarily polymers and semiconductors. In contrast, finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations suggest that plasmonic nanoparticle superlattices with spacer groups offer an alternative route to photonic crystals due to the controllable spacing of the nanoparticles and the high refractive index of the lattices, even far away from the plasmon frequency where losses are low. Herein, the stopband features of 13 Bravais lattices are characterized and compared, resulting in paradigm-shifting design principles for photonic crystals. Based on these design rules, a simple cubic structure with an ∼130-nm lattice parameter is predicted to have a broad photonic stopband, a property confirmed by synthesizing the structure via DNA programmable assembly and characterizing it by reflectance measurements. We show through simulation that a maximum reflectance of more than 0.99 can be achieved in these plasmonic photonic crystals by optimizing the nanoparticle composition and structural parameters., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement: There is a provisional patent involved: US Serial No. 62/624,328 (filed January 31, 2018).