Semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (S-SWCNTs) have direct band gaps with a range of 0.5 to 2 eV depending on the SWCNT chirality. The photoluminescence (PL) quantum efficiency and the carriers’ radiative lifetime have been previously studied but neither of them have been confirmed due to the large variation resulting from ensemble averaging, environmental effects, SWCNT defects, and SWCNT bundles. For example, quantum efficiency was estimated to be 0.01% to 7% and radiative lifetime was estimated or calculated to be 10 to 100 ns. In this thesis, we study absorption cross section, PL quantum efficiency and exciton relaxation dynamics from single air-suspended S-SWCNTs and extract “intrinsic” S-SWCNT properties. The photo-excited carriers are electron-hole pairs (called excitons) in a SWCNT due to the strong Coulomb interactions in the nm-scale system. We selected relatively bright and less defected S-SWCNTs on our samples for investigation. For each SSWCNT, the tube length, orientation, absorption and emission spectra were recorded. Experimentally, we observed that PL from a single S-SWCNT increases linearly at low excitation intensity (linear regime) and saturates at higher intensity (saturation regime). We also studied the exciton relaxation dynamics on each S-SWCNT by femtosecond excitation correlation (FEC) spectroscopy and resolved two relaxation time constants which were independent of the excitation intensity. We compare the simulation results based on a stochastic model to the experimental data and extract essential parameters including S-SWCNT unitless absorption coefficient (typically 0.02 to 0.06), PL quantum efficiency (typically 7 to 20 %) and exciton relaxation time constants. We observed very fast nonlinear exciton-exciton annihilation rate (>(2 ps)^−1) in a typical 5 μm-long S-SWCNTs. The exciton dynamics were consistent from 4 different S-SWCNTs in the saturation regime and the average total exciton number per pulse per tube in this saturation regime ranges from 2 to 12. Compared to past work, the results (PL saturation curves and FEC data) between S-SWCNTs are very consistent which supports our belief that we are studying “intrinsic properties”. We found a higher absorption coefficient, and higher PL quantum efficiency of S-SWCNTs compared to previous work. We also observe very fast nonlinear exciton-exciton annihilation in a relatively longer S-SWCNT and at lower exciton numbers. / Thesis (Master, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy) -- Queen's University, 2009-01-08 20:38:56.433

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: See full text / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sien volteks

Due to their unique properties organic semiconductors may be used for various applications in organic optoelectronic devices: light emitting devices, lasers, field-effect transistors, photovoltaic cells and etc. Despite high perspectives of organic semiconductors they are still upstaged by their inorganic counterparts. Development of organic electronics requires better understanding of electrooptical properties of organic semiconductors and relationships between their structure and functions. The main goal of this thesis is a detailed investigation of ultrafast exciton and charge carrier processes in pure organic semiconductors and their blends with fullerene derivatives. Investigated organic or silicon organic semiconductors were poly-di-n-hexylsilane (PDHS), polyfluorenes F8BT and PSF-BT, merocyanine MD376. C60 fullerene and its derivative PCBM were used in blends. Ultrafast transient absorption, fluorescence, and integral mode photocurrent measurements were used for investigations. The investigation of PDHS nanocomposites revealed that PDHS incorporation into nanopores can be used for improvement of fluorescence properties. Formation of intramolecular charge transfer state was proposed for PSF-BT neat films. Charge transfer scheme of the formation of long-lived charge pair state in PSF-BT/PCBM blend was presented. The charge pair and free charge carrier generation scheme in merocyanine blends with fullerene derivatives were discussed in detail. Analysis of measurement... [to full text] / Dėl savo unikalių savybių organiniai puslaidininkiai gali būti plačiai pritaikyti įvairiuose optoelektroniniuose prietaisuose: organiniuose šviestukuose, organiniuose lazeriuose, organiniuose tranzistoriuose ir organiniuose šviesos elementuose. Visi šie pritaikymai yra galimi dėl organinių molekulių laidumo. Nepaisant didelių organinių puslaidininkių perspektyvų, jie vis dar yra nukonkuruojami neorganinių puslaidininkių. Pagrindinis šių tezių tikslas yra detaliai ištirti eksitonų ir krūvininkų dinamikos procesus grynuose organiniuose puslaidininkiuose ir jų mišiniuose su fulereno dariniais. Buvo matuoti organiniai ir silicio organiniai puslaidininkiai: poli-di-n-heksilsilanas (PDHS), polifluoreno dariniai F8BT ir PSF-BT, merocianinas MD376. Mišiniuose naudoti fulerenai buvo C60 ir jo darinys PCBM. Tyrimams buvo naudoti ultraspartūs skirtuminės sugerties, fluorescencijos ir integralinės fotosrovės matavimai. PDHS tyrimai atskleidė, kad neorganinės matricos sumažina nespindulinį relaksacijos kanalą. PDHS nanokompozitai gali būti naudojami polimero fluorescencijos savybių: stabilumo, kvantinio našumo pagerinimui. Polifluorenų F8BT ir PSF-BT grynų plėvelių tyrimų metu nustatyti eksitonų-eksitonų anihiliacijos ir eksitonų migracijos skirtumai. Vidumolekulinės krūvio pernašos būsenos formavimasis buvo pasiūlytas PSF-BT grynoms plėvelėms. Pristatyta ilgi gyvuojančių krūvininkų porų formavimosi schema PSF-BT/PCBM mišiniuose. Krūvio pernašos būsenų formavimasis buvo ištirtas... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Dėl savo unikalių savybių organiniai puslaidininkiai gali būti plačiai pritaikyti įvairiuose optoelektroniniuose prietaisuose: organiniuose šviestukuose, organiniuose lazeriuose, organiniuose tranzistoriuose ir organiniuose šviesos elementuose. Visi šie pritaikymai yra galimi dėl organinių molekulių laidumo. Nepaisant didelių organinių puslaidininkių perspektyvų, jie vis dar yra nukonkuruojami neorganinių puslaidininkių. Pagrindinis šių tezių tikslas yra detaliai ištirti eksitonų ir krūvininkų dinamikos procesus grynuose organiniuose puslaidininkiuose ir jų mišiniuose su fulereno dariniais. Buvo matuoti organiniai ir silicio organiniai puslaidininkiai: poli-di-n-heksilsilanas (PDHS), polifluoreno dariniai F8BT ir PSF-BT, merocianinas MD376. Mišiniuose naudoti fulerenai buvo C60 ir jo darinys PCBM. Tyrimams buvo naudoti ultraspartūs skirtuminės sugerties, fluorescencijos ir integralinės fotosrovės matavimai. PDHS tyrimai atskleidė, kad neorganinės matricos sumažina nespindulinį relaksacijos kanalą. PDHS nanokompozitai gali būti naudojami polimero fluorescencijos savybių: stabilumo, kvantinio našumo pagerinimui. Polifluorenų F8BT ir PSF-BT grynų plėvelių tyrimų metu nustatyti eksitonų-eksitonų anihiliacijos ir eksitonų migracijos skirtumai. Vidumolekulinės krūvio pernašos būsenos formavimasis buvo pasiūlytas PSF-BT grynoms plėvelėms. Pristatyta ilgi gyvuojančių krūvininkų porų formavimosi schema PSF-BT/PCBM mišiniuose. Krūvio pernašos būsenų formavimasis buvo ištirtas... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Due to their unique properties organic semiconductors may be used for various applications in organic optoelectronic devices: light emitting devices, lasers, field-effect transistors and photovoltaic cells and etc. Despite high perspectives of organic semiconductors they are still upstaged by their inorganic counterpart. The efficiency of electrooptical properties of organic semiconductors is tried to increase. The main goal of this thesis is a detailed investigation of ultrafast exciton and charge carrier processes in pure organic semiconductors and their blends with fullerene derivatives. Measured organic or silicon organic semiconductors were poly-di-n-hexylsilane (PDHS), polyfluorenes F8BT and PSF-BT, merocyanine MD376. Fullerenes used in blends were C60 and its derivative PCBM. Ultrafast transient absorption, fluorescence, and integral mode photocurrent measurements were used for investigations. The investigation of PDHS revealed that PDHS nanocomposites can be used for improvement of neat PDHS films fluorescence properties. The formation of intramolecular charge transfer state was proposed for PSF-BT neat films. Charge transfer scheme of the formation of long-lived charge pair state in PSF-BT/PCBM blend was presented. The formation of charge transfer states was explored in neat merocyanine films and blends with fullerene derivatives. The scheme of generation of charge pairs and free charge carriers in merocyanine blends with fullerene derivatives was discussed in... [to full text]

Beginning with the discovery of graphene, two-dimensional materials have amassed a strong interest. Like graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) can be coaxed into atomically thin sheets which have some impressive properties. Unlike graphene, TMDs also has a change in their electronic band structure causing an indirect band gap to a direct gap transition in its monolayer form. Additionally, these materials lose their inversion symmetry as a monolayer. These unique properties make TMDs a strong candidate for being used in optoelectronic and valleytronic devices. In order for these devices to be successful, the optical properties of TMDs must be thoroughly understood. Due to this class of material's strong Coulomb interaction, the optical properties are dominated by excitons, a quasiparticle made up of an electron-hole pair. Therefore, the success of these devices relies, in part, on understanding and manipulating excitons. One key parameter of excitons is their dephasing rate which characterizes the lifetime of the coherent superposition of two states (i.e. how the coherence decays which is caused by excitons interacting with their environment). In this work, two optical properties are investigated: (1) How the linear absorption of the TMDs A-exciton peak varies as the material increases in thickness. By looking at how the absorption varies by sample thickness, the interaction between emitters can be understood. Experimental results for the diamagnetic shift are presented which are used to determine the lateral excitonic size. Through theoretical calculations, based on the semiconductor Maxwell-Bloch equations, additional insight into the radiative coupling of the systems are obtained. (2) How the coherence prole of the exciton changes in the presence of an external magnetic eld and specic valley excitation. By varying the polarization scheme in the four wave mixing measurement, specic valley excitation can be selected, allowing for insight into the dephasing mechanisms. By applying an external magnetic eld, the energy levels of the electron and hole can be discretized and the corresponding eects on the system's coherence seen. In conjunction with time-dependent density function theory calculations and the experimental results, a deeper understanding of exciton dynamics and multi-exciton complexes was obtained. Finally, a new system is proposed in which complex spectroscopic techniques can be performed on micron sized samples as well as devices in the presence of an external magnetic eld at cryogen temperatures. This system will allow for the investigation of the optical properties of stacked monolayers (heterostructures) as well as devices.

Chromophore is a molecule or a part of a molecule which is responsible for its appearance color. This definition has been evolving over time with the progress of science. Contemporary scientific advances have expanded its meaning: to an inclusive level, chromophore is an irreducible collective of fundamental particles, which can represent the photophysical (optical physical) properties of the macroscopic matter. Previous studies have already found that the same molecule can have different photophysical properties under different condensed states. Therefore, it is straight forward to conclude that the definition of chromophore should take such extrinsic influencing interactions of this given molecule into consideration, thus simply taking the smallest unit such as a molecule is not accurate. A good example is quantum dots. Same species of quantum dots possess the identical smallest chemical unit but can emit very differently due to quantum confinement effect, thus defining the smallest unit as the chromophore is apparently fallacious. In solid polymeric compositions, the chemical unit or building blocks may differ from the spectroscopic unit depending on how these chemical units interacts within their ensemble to evolve new properties such as a new transition dipole. As thus, understanding the evolution of photophysical behaviors between the targeted unit and neighbors is of much importance to determine whether they should be considered as one chromophore or many. This requires a thorough understanding towards the evolution of photophysical properties of a collective, and the construction of such collective will need to pay extra attention to, as any structural factor could have changed some photophysical interactions of the collective. The introductory chapter discusses the material platform and fundamental photophysics investigated in this dissertation. Chromophore assembly (CA) as a sylloge of several classes of self-assembled materials, including metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent-organic frameworks (COFs), porous organic polymers (POPs). Among them, MOF-based CAs (MOF-CAs) featuring with the ease of synthesis, demonstrate incomparable promises to construct such collective with several appealing characteristics, including component diversity, chemical stability, structural porosity, and post-synthetic versatility (Chapter 1.1). As for here, the main target to achieve using these assemblies is to understand the interaction between adjacent chemical monomeric units, therefore their spatial arrangements are of the paramount importance. As modern theory discovered, both ordered and random systems can be very important for novel quantum material developments. Both crystalline and amorphous arrangements of monomeric units can be achieved by adopting different classes of materials. MOF-CAs could achieve the precise control of spatial arrangement including distance, direction, and dihedral angle by its crystalline structures, whereas porous organic polymer-based CAs (POP-CAs) could feature a total randomness. Photophysics, as the research topic targeting the firsthand knowledge gained by interrogating the information provided by the propagating light after its interaction with matters, could provide crucial knowledge of the targeted matter. Hence, photophysical properties could provide fundamental understanding of the targeted matter (Chapter 1.2). State-of-the-art spectroscopic methods and instrumentation have made it possible to critically examine new structures to correlate photophysics with the chemical structure of their assemblies. By combining multiple spectroscopic techniques along with theoretical study, several correlations between the electronic properties of the matter, such as structural features, have been investigated. To illustrate, some unique topology-dependent photophysical behaviors found in chromophore assemblies are introduced (Chapter 1.3). In this dissertation, the feasibility of using specific types of MOF-CAs to conduct unique photophysical studies has been carefully chosen and verified (Chapter 2). Next, with the help of first principles computations, the nature of several electronic excited states as a function of different extent of Van der Waals or electronic interaction in MOF-CAs is unveiled, and experimentally studied with several environmental variates (Chapter 3). The knowledge was then articulated to devise a strategy to improve resonance energy transfer process in MOF-CAs. Here, low electronic symmetry of linker and directionally aligned transition dipoles of their collective ensembled are found beneficial to improve such photophysical process in a bottom-up manner (Chapter 4). Then, a series of MOFs were rationally designed to examine the feasibility and extent of a nonlinear excitonic process, singlet fission, to promote the generation of carriers usable for many applications including light-harvesting applications. The outcome demonstrated MOF-CA is a powerful tool to design such materials and is more capable in terms of its tunability (Chapter 5). At last, a set of randomly oriented CAs in POP were examined for underlying excited state dynamic process that highlights a thermal activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) involving S1 and low-lying T2 excited states (Chapter 6). This dissertation has highlighted unique yet tunable excited-state features and photophysical processes within the well-defined molecular ensemble realized via porous frameworks. These photophysical properties differ from those of their respective molecular system in their solubilized forms. Studies in this dissertation demonstrates a reliable platform to investigate multibody chromophore systems and suggested several valuable discoveries and lights the way for the study of novel chromophore assembly systems.

<div>Recently, atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) layered materials such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have emerged as a new class of materials due to their unique electronic structures and optical properties at the nanoscale limit. 2D materials also hold great promises as building blocks for creating new heterostructures for optoelectronic applications such as atomically thin photovoltaics, light emitting diodes, and photodetectors. Understanding the fundamental photo-physics process in 2D semiconductors and heterostructures is critical for above-mentioned applications. </div><div>In Chapter 1, we briefly describe photo-generated charge carriers in two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) semiconductors and heterostructures. Due to the reduced dielectric screening in the single-layer or few-layer of TMDCs semiconductors, Columbo interaction between electron and hole in the exciton is greatly enhanced that leads to extraordinary large exciton binding energy compared with bulk semiconductors. The environmental robust 2D excitons provide an ideal platform to study exciton properties in TMDCs semiconductors. Since layers in 2D materials are holding by weak van de Waals interaction, different 2D layers could be assembled together to make 2D heterostructures. The successful preparation of 2D heterostructures paves a new path to explore intriguing optoelectronic properties.</div><div>In Chapter 2, we introduce various optical microscopy techniques used in our work for the optical characterization of 2D semiconductors and heterostructures. These optical imaging tools with high spatial and temporal resolution allow us to directly track charge and energy flow at 2D interfaces.</div><div>Exciton recombination is a critical factor in determining the efficiency for optoelectronic applications such as semiconductor lasers and light-emitting diodes. Although exciton dynamics have been investigated in different 2D semiconductor, large variations in sample qualities due to different preparation methods have prevented obtaining intrinsic exciton lifetimes from being conclusively established. In Chapter 3, we study exciton dynamics in 2D TMDCs semiconductors using ultrafast PL and transient absorption microscopy. Here we employ 2D WS2 semiconductor as a model system to study exciton dynamics due to the low defect density and high quantum yield of WS2. We mainly focus on how the exciton population affects exciton dynamics. At low exciton density regime, we demonstrate how the interlayer between the bright and dark exciton populations influence exciton recombination. At high exciton density regime, we exhibit significant exciton-exciton annihilation in monolayer WS2. When comparing with the bilayer and trilayer WS2, the exciton-exciton annihilation rate in monolayer WS2 increases by two orders of magnitude due to enhanced many-body interactions at single layer limit. </div><div>Long-range transport of 2D excitons is desirable for optoelectronic applications based on TMDCs semiconductors. However, there still lacks a comprehensive understanding of the intrinsic limit for exciton transport in the TMDCs materials currently. In Chapter 4, we employ ultrafast transient absorption microscopy that is capable of imaging excitons transport with ~ 200 fs temporal resolution and ~ 50 nm spatial precision to track exciton motion in 2D WS2 with different thickness. Our results demonstrate that exciton mobility in single layer WS2 is largely limited by extrinsic factors such as charge impurities and surface phonons of the substrate. The intrinsic phonon-limited exciton transport is achieved in WS2 layers with a thickness greater than 20 layers.</div><div>Efficient photocarrier generation and separation at 2D interfaces remain a central challenge for many optoelectronic applications based on 2D heterostructures. The structural tunability of 2D nanostructures along with atomically thin and sharp 2D interfaces provides new opportunities for controlling charge transfer (CT) interactions at 2D interfaces. A largely unexplored question is how interlayer CT interactions contribute to interfacial photo-carrier generation and separation in 2D heterostructures. In Chapter 5, we present a joint experimental and theoretical study to address carrier generation from interlayer CT transitions in WS2-graphene heterostructures. We use spatially resolved ultrafast transient absorption microscopy to elucidate the role of interlayer coupling on charge transfer and photo-carrier generation in WS2-graphene heterostructures. These results demonstrate efficient broadband photo-carrier generation in WS2-graphene heterostructures which is highly desirable for atomically thin photovoltaic and photodetector applications based on graphene and 2D semiconductors.</div><div>CT exciton transport at heterointerfaces plays a critical role in light to electricity conversion using 2D heterostructures. One of the challenges is that direct measurements of CT exciton transport require quantitative information in both spatial and temporal domains. In order to address this challenge, we employ transient absorption microscopy (TAM) with high temporal and spatial resolution to image both bright and dark CT excitons in WS2-tetrance and CVD WS2-WSe2 heterostructure. In Chapter 6, we study the formation and transport of interlayer CT excitons in 2D WS2-Tetracene vdW heterostructures. TAM measurements of CT exciton transport at these 2D interfaces reveal coexistence of delocalized and localized CT excitons. The highly mobile delocalized CT excitons could be the key factor to overcome large CT exciton binding energy in achieving efficient charge separation. In Chapter 7, we study stacking orientational dependent interlayer exciton recombination and transport in CVD WS2-WSe2 heterostructures. Temperature-dependent interlayer exciton dynamics measurements suggest the existence of moiré potential that localizes interlayer excitons. TAM measurements of interlayer excitons transport reveal that CT excitons at WS2-WSe2 heterointerface are much more mobile than intralayer excitons of WS2. We attributed this to the dipole-dipole repulsion from bipolar interlayer excitons that efficiently screen the moiré potential fluctuations and facilitate interlayer exciton transport. Our results provide fundamental insights in understanding the influence of moiré potential on interlayer exciton dynamics and transport in CVD WS2-WSe2 heterostructures which has important implications in optoelectronic applications such as atomically thin photovoltaics and light harvesting devices. </div><div><br></div>

In this thesis we explore in particular the dynamics of a special type of quasi-particle in pi-conjugated materials termed polaron, the origin of which is intimately related to the strong interactions between the electronic and the vibrational degrees of freedom within these systems. In order to conduct such studies with the particular focus of each appended paper, we simultaneously solve the time-dependent Schrödinger equation and the lattice equation of motion with a three-dimensional extension of the famous Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model Hamiltonian. In particular, we demonstrate in Paper I the applicability of the method to model transport dynamics in molecular crystals in a region were neither band theory nor perturbative treatments such as the Holstein model and extended Marcus theory apply. In Paper II we expand the model Hamiltonian to treat the revolution of phenylene rings around the sigma-bonds and demonstrate the great impact of stochastic ring torsion on the intra-chain mobility in conjugated polymers using poly[phenylene vinylene] (PPV) as a model system. Finally, in Paper III we go beyond the original purpose of the methodology and utilize its great flexibility to study radiationless relaxations of hot excitons. / Report code: LiU-TEK-LIC-2007:4.

<p>In this thesis we explore in particular the dynamics of a special type of quasi-particle in pi-conjugated materials termed polaron, the origin of which is intimately related to the strong interactions between the electronic and the vibrational degrees of freedom within these systems. In order to conduct such studies with the particular focus of each appended paper, we simultaneously solve the time-dependent Schrödinger equation and the lattice equation of motion with a three-dimensional extension of the famous Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model Hamiltonian. In particular, we demonstrate in Paper I the applicability of the method to model transport dynamics in molecular crystals in a region were neither band theory nor perturbative treatments such as the Holstein model and extended Marcus theory apply. In Paper II we expand the model Hamiltonian to treat the revolution of phenylene rings around the sigma-bonds and demonstrate the great impact of stochastic ring torsion on the intra-chain mobility in conjugated polymers using poly[phenylene vinylene] (PPV) as a model system. Finally, in Paper III we go beyond the original purpose of the methodology and utilize its great flexibility to study radiationless relaxations of hot excitons.</p> / Report code: LiU-TEK-LIC-2007:4.

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