Formation Of Organic Crystals From Nanofilms

Description
Organic crystalline needles are formed via solvent vapor exposure of ~10 nm thick amorphous films of organic semiconductors such as tris(8‑hydroxyquinoline)aluminum (Alq3). Submicron channels of patterned silicon substrates facilitate mass transport of the solvated organic material, yielding oriented needles. Current studies seek to characterize and model the nanoscale morphological changes leading up to crystal formation.

Implications
Organic crystalline needles generated via this technique may have enhanced charge carrier mobilities necessary for organic electronic applications such as low-voltage field-effect transistors and high-efficiency solar cells, or non-linear optical properties required for organic optoelectronic devices such as modulators, optical filters, and polarization rotators.

Research Group Contacts
Dr. Debra Mascaro, Mechanical Engineering

NEXT nano research application: