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Liquid crystals (LCs) have recently gained significant importance in organic photovoltaics (PVs). Power-conversion efficiency up to about 10% has reached in solar cells incorporating LCs. This review presents an overview of the developments in the field of organic PVs with LCs. Comprehensive details of LCs used in bilayer solar cells, bulk heterojunction solar cells and dye-sensitized solar cells have been given. An outlook into the future of this newly emerging, fascinating and exciting field of self-organizing supramolecular LC PV research is provided.
Developing renewable polymeric materials for electronics applications is crucial toward next generation of green electronic industry. Current progress on the renewable materials used as the passive and active components in electronics is reviewed, where the correlation between the relationships of chemical structures, morphology and device characteristics is featured. Furthermore, their future perspectives are provided for foreseeable paths in the development of green electronics.
Perylene tetracarboxylic bisimide (PTCBI) derivatives bearing oligosiloxane moieties were synthesized. At room temperature, the PTCBI derivatives bearing oligosiloxane chains exhibit a nanosegregated columnar phase in which crystal-like π-stacks are surrounded by a liquid-like mantle. These PTCBI derivatives are soluble in various organic solvents, and thin films can be produced by a spin-coating method. The PTCBI derivatives bearing polymerizable cyclotetrasiloxane rings show the liquid crystalline (LC) phases at room temperature. The spin-coated films of the LC PTCBI derivatives with cyclotetrasiloxane rings can be polymerized and insolubilized by exposure to the vapors of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid.
Stretchable electronics are an attractive means for producing mechanically robust devices with enhanced utility and can enable novel applications such as conformal solar cells, electronic skin and wearable electronics. Approaches to stretchable organic electronics, specifically polymer solar cell active layer materials, via a molecular design strategy are presented. Further discussion into polymer blends and engineering approaches to producing other types of stretchable electronics is given. The relationships between mechanical and electrical properties of all these materials are discussed and suggestions are given for future areas of research.
This review focuses on supramolecular gelation that exhibits unique optical functionality through the highly ordered aggregation of low-molecular-weight compounds. The supramolecular gels can be applied to improve the functionality of polymer materials through nanofibrillar network formation, while maintaining transparency. We discuss concepts and methods for manufacturing supramolecular gels, their optical characteristics and their applications for light management technology.
This review tests you for survival in modern science and technology.Q1: Can we operate molecular machines by our hands?Ans: YES (Hand-Operating Nanotechnology)!Q2: Can we mechanically control life and bio-events?Ans: YES (Mechanobiology)!Q3: What comes after nanotechnology?Ans: It is definitely Nanoarchitectonics.
