Search

The Circular Economy approach aims to close the loop of materials and to reduce waste. However, relevant product data for the optimization and management of circular approaches are often missing. Stakeholders typically lack key information: Recyclers do not know which materials/compounds to expect, producers do not know enough about the recyclability of their products, and customers do not have enough information about the environmental impact of their purchases. As a solution, this paper proposes a Digital Lifecycle Passport (DLCP) that can be written and read by various stakeholders along the full product lifecycle. Based on Plattform Industrie 4.0's Asset Administration Shell, the DLCP is readable for both humans and machines. A cloud-based app (SaaS) enables all stakeholders to create and manage DLCPs. As a use case, it is demonstrated how the DLCP can improve the sorting process of electronic waste.

Environmental management systems (EMS) require the assessment of environmental aspects to ensure that organizations recognize their most relevant impacts on the environment. The ecological scarcity method (ESM) provides weighting factors for environmental flows (pollutants and resources), called eco-factors (EF), applicable in the assessment of environmental aspects. EF are based on a distance-to-target approach, displaying the ratio of the current state to the respective policy targets for environmental flows. The ESM has been developed for Switzerland; however, for site-specific application beyond Switzerland, national EF are desirable. This publication presents a systematic procedure for the derivation of EF in an international framework, based on the investigation of eight countries worldwide and comprehensive data research. As a novel feature, the grouping of EF into sets is introduced, according to the character of the underlying policy target: legally based, intended policy, or expert recommendation. Overall, 134 EF for six environmental issues were calculated and applied in a case study from Volkswagen AG. An in-depth analysis identifies the differences between national EF and between sets of EF and discusses the implications for EMS. From the findings, general conclusions for future development and the application of EF in an international context of company management are derived.

A novel electroluminescent poly(p-phenylenevinylene) (PPV) derivative was synthesized via the Gilch route, which emits in the blue-greenish region. The required monomer synthesis is a multistep process starting from catechol and does not involve any critical step. The polymer synthesis itself proceeds via standard Gilch conditions and results in constitutionally homogeneous and extraordinary high-molecular-weight PPVs. The characterization of these materials was carried out using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and size exclusion chromatography measurements. The highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy levels were estimated by combining information provided by cyclic voltammetry and UV–vis measurements. Finally, the electroluminescent behavior of the polymer was confirmed in an organic light-emitting diode.

In this work the current knowledge on the electrical degradation of polymer-based light-emitting diodes is reviewed focusing especially on derivatives of poly(p-phenylene-vinylene) (PPV). The electrical degradation will be referred to as electrical fatigue and is understood as mechanisms, phenomena and material properties that change during continuous operation of the device at constant current. The focus of this review lies especially on the effect of chemical synthesis on the transport properties of the organic semiconductor and the device lifetimes. In addition, the prominent transparent conductive oxide indium tin oxide as well as In���O��� will be reviewed and how their properties can be altered by the processing conditions. The experiments are accompanied by theoretical modeling shining light on how the change of injection barriers, charge carrier mobility or trap density influence the current���voltage characteristics of the diodes and on how and which defects form in transparent conductive oxides used as anode.

The implementation of organic electronic devices on fibers is a challenging task, not yet investigated in detail. As was shown earlier, a direct transition from a flat device structure to a fiber substrate is in principle possible. However, a more detailed investigation of the process reveals additional complexities than just the transition in geometry. It will be shown, that the layer formation of evaporated materials behaves differently due to the multi-angled incidence on the fibers surface. In order to achieve homogenous layers the evaporation process has to be adapted. Additionally, the fiber geometry itself facilitates damaging of its surface due to mechanical impact and leads to a high surface roughness, thereby often hindering commercial fibers to be used as substrates. In this article, a treatment of commercial polymer-coated glass fibers will be demonstrated that allows for the fabrication of rather flexible organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with cylindrical emission characteristics. Since OLEDs rely the most on a smooth substrate, fibers undergoing the proposed treatment are applicable for other organic electronic devices such as transistors and solar cells. Finally, the technique also supports the future fabrication of organic electronics not only in smart textiles and woven electronics but also in bent surfaces, which opens a wide range of applications.

A three-terminal organic light-emitting device with a periodic interrupted middle electrode is developed to allow for an adjustable emission color. The emission results from three independent light-emitting diodes with one diode utilizing exciplex emission. An equivalent electrical circuit is suggested taking the current–voltage characteristics and the direction of current flow through the organic structure into account. Two diodes are formed between the embedded middle electrode and the LiF/Al top and ITO bottom electrode, respectively, and the third diode utilizes that part of the device without the middle-electrode exhibiting exciplex emission. It will be shown that the spectrum of the emitted light can be tuned from blue to orange by controlling the applied potentials to the device terminals.

This study presents the electromechanical properties and cycling stability of lead-free piezoelectric materials 0.92(Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3–0.08BaTiO3 (BNT–8BT) and 0.91(Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3–0.06BaTiO3–0.03(K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 (BNT–6BT–3KNN). Both bulk samples as well as multilayer actuators (MLA) with internal Ag/Pd (70/30) electrodes were successfully processed from both materials. Electromechanical characteristics in the non-fatigued state and after different numbers of unipolar fatigue cycles are provided, representing the first direct comparison of the fatigue resistance of lead-free bulk ceramics and the corresponding MLAs. At a maximum field of 6 kV/mm and a frequency of 50 Hz, BNT–8BT MLA delivered a maximum strain of 0.07% and displayed excellent cycling stability. BNT–6BT–3KNN MLA provided a higher strain of 0.15% initially but degraded during cycling and exhibited break down after 107 cycles. Furthermore, the frequency dependence of strain and the self-heating during cycling were investigated. The temperature increase is limited only to 2 °C in BNT–8BT MLA and 13 °C in BNT–6BT–3KNN MLA.

In this work, the harmful effect of triplet excitons on the lifetime of poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV)-based organic light emitting diodes is demonstrated. A model system has been designed in which the triplet population in a PPV derivative is increased by blending the polymer with the triplet sensitizer platinum (II) octaethylporphyrine ketone (PtOEPK). The increase in the triplet concentration of the polymer affects both the initial decay and the long-term evolution of luminance and leads to a drastic acceleration of device degradation, reflected in a dramatically shortened lifetime.

Two acene-based semiconductors were investigated with respect to their performance as n-type materials in organic field-effect transistors. The partially fluorinated ditetracenes (Ditetracen is protected by copywrite through the Patent WO/2007/000268. The patent is property of the Dritte Patentportfolio Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG.) (DT) were synthesized in a high yield with different degrees of fluorination, one with four and another with two fluorine substituents (named as DT-4F and DT-2F, respectively). Both materials exhibit high thermal stability, with decomposition temperatures above 500 C. Since both materials are supposed to have a lowered LUMO level compared to the non-fluorinated parent DT, n-type operation in thin-film transistors (TFTs) with gold source and drain contacts was expected. TFTs based on DT-2F, however, showed weak ambipolar transport only, which demonstrates insufficient fluorination to switch from hole-dominated to electrondominated transport. On the other hand, high performance n-type TFTs have been achieved from DT-4F, with electron mobilities up to 1.0 cm 2 /V s. This result indicates that fluorinated DT material can act as excellent n-type semiconductor for applications in complementary circuits. This is demonstrated in a complementary inverter stage using DT-4Fbased TFTs as n-type transistor and a non-fluorinated DT derivative-based TFT as p-type transistor.

The molecular structure of the hydrocarbon 5,6;11,12-di-o-phenylenetetracene (DOPT), its material characterization and evaluation of electronic properties is reported for the first time. A single-crystal X-ray study reveals two different motifs of intramolecular overlap with herringbone-type arrangement displaying either face-to-edge or co-facial face-to-face packing depicting intensive π-π interactions. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations underpin that a favorable electronic transport mechanism occurs by a charge hopping process due to a π-bond overlap in the DOPT polymorph with co-facial arene orientation. The performance of polycrystalline DOPT films as active organic semiconducting layer in a state-of-the-art organic field effect transistor (OFET) device was evaluated and proves to be film thickness dependent. For 40 nm layer thickness it displays a saturation hole mobility (μhole ) of up to 0.01 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) and an on/off-ratio (Ion /Ioff ) of 1.5×10(3) .

Recently, n-type transport in organic field effect transistors (OFETs) incorporating pentacene on a silicon dioxide (SiO2) dielectric has been demonstrated by Ahles et al. [Appl. Phys. Lett. 85, 4499 (2004)]. The electron transport was made possible by modifying the dielectric/semiconductor interface using traces of Ca. While the facilitation of electron current in pentacene remained unclear at that point, an interface near filling of electron trap states in the transistor channel or on the SiO2 dielectric could be suggested as a possible explanation. In the following the influence of the Ca interlayer on the n-type transport in pentacene based OFETs will be correlated with an x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of the SiO2/Ca interface, in dependence of the Ca layer thickness. It is demonstrated that for low thicknesses an oxidized Ca insulator is formed on the SiO2 dielectric, allowing for the observed pentacene electron transport. The formation of the oxide is suggested to compensate available el...

In the present paper a new concept towards O-CMOS technology is presented substantiating the importance of the semiconductor/dielectric interface for charge carrier transport in organic semiconductors. It will be demonstrated that by controlling the interface properties of either SiO 2 or PMMA, unipolar p- and n-type OFETs can be realized using a single organic semiconductor and even a single metal for source and drain contacts. Two dielectric/semiconductor interface modifications are considered for the realization of complementary OFETs on the basis of pentacene, otherwise known for its exclusive hole transporting properties. Selective modification of the SiO 2 dielectric interface with traces of vacuum deposited Ca, allows for electron transport in pentacene and the realization of complementary pentacene OFETs on a single substrate. By this technique electron traps are removed due to a reaction of atomic Ca with oxygen from available hydroxide groups, resulting in the formation of an oxidized Ca layer. In a second approach, it is demonstrated that by selective UV treatment of a PMMA dielectric surface, unipolar n-type pentacene OFETs can be converted to unipolar p-type by the introduction of electron traps in the form of -OH and -COOH groups at the PMMA interface. Both methods allow for the realization of CMOS organic inverter stages with decent electrical properties.

Recently Li3PO4/Al has been introduced as an alternative cathode for the commonly used LiF/Al system for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) due to its competitive electron injection properties. In the present article the interfaces of the organic semiconductor with the Li3PO4/Al bilayer cathode are investigated using photoelectron spectroscopy to elucidate the origin behind the efficient electron injection. Therefore, a thick Li3PO4 layer was vacuum deposited onto an indium tin oxide substrate and characterized in order to learn about the stoichiometry of evaporated Li3PO4. During evaporation Li3PO4 decomposes, forming a layer consisting of P2O5 and LiPO3. In a second step the interface between Li3PO4 and Alq3 [tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum] was investigated, whereupon Li3PO4 coverage Alq3 molecules decompose, forming aluminum oxide or aluminum phosphate leaving 8-quinolinol molecules behind. A similar reaction occurs at the Li3PO4/Al interface where again an oxidation of the metallic aluminum poin...

In this contribution an efficient cathode material for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) is introduced consisting of a thin layer of the metal salt lithium phosphate (Li3PO4) deposited between the organic semiconductor and an Al cathode. The bilayer cathode Li3PO4/Al enables a device performance of small molecule based OLEDs competitive to the benchmark cathode LiF/Al. While current densities and luminances of both systems are alike, the use of Li3PO4 substantially increases the device lifetime. It will be shown that the improved device characteristics can be ascribed to a stably enhanced electron injection. We demonstrate that neither a field enhancement across the Li3PO4 layer due to accumulated holes nor a possible charge transfer doping by the Li3PO4 is the reason for the improved electron injection. Investigation of the Li3PO4/Al interface by Kelvin probe techniques disclosed a work function lowering of the cathode that facilitates electron injection and finally explains the improvement in perfor...