Organic Energy Materials Flashcards
What occurs as a result of pi-conjugation?
Thermal and Chemical Stability
What is Huckel’s approximation?
We only concern ourselves with the MO energies of the conjugated system
What is the number of pi-bonded MOs equivalent to?
The number of pi electrons
How do we lower the energy of molecular orbitals?
We increase the number of bonding interactions and decrease the number of anti-bonding interactions
How do we determine the net bonding interaction for a conjugated system?
(1) Draw all MO wavefunctions including any nodes
(2) For each wavefunction, count the number of bonding interactions (B) and the number of anti-bonding interactions (A)
(3) The net bonding of each wavefunction is equal to B - A
(4) The net bonding of the pi-system is equal to the sum of the electronically occupied interactions
How does increasing the pi-conjugation impact the HOMO-LUMO energy gap?
It generally leads to a smaller HOMO-LUMO gap
What do we call the band of delocalised electrons?
The valance band
What do we call the band of empty orbitals?
The conduction band
What is an exciton?
An electron-hole pair
How does the exciton binding energy relate to distance?
It is inversely proportional to distance
What are the values of the exciton binding energy of organic semiconductors compared to inorganic semiconductors?
They are much higher values; the electron-hole pair are tightly bound
How can we decrease the rate of charge recombination?
We can use a donor-acceptor strategy
This is where the electron is accepted by an acceptor at lower energy than the donor’s LUMO
How can we maximise the donor-acceptor interface in the photoactive layer?
We can implement bilayer structures, interdigitated structures or bulk heterojunction structures
What is the ionisation potential of a material?
It is the ability to lose electron(s) - oxidation
It is directly related to the energy of the HOMO
What is the electron affinity of a material?
It is the ability of a material to gain electron(s) - reduction
It is directly related to the energy of the LUMO
What is the equation to calculate the band gap (Eg)?
The modulus of E of LUMO - E of HOMO
How can we determine the optical band gap?
By absorption spectroscopy
What is a bathochromic shift?
A red shift (shift to increasing wavelengths)
What is a hypsochromic shift?
A blue shift (shift to decreasing wavelengths)
What is a hyperchromic shift?
An increase in intensity
What is a hypochromic shift?
A decrease in intensity
How do we graphically calculate the onset wavelength?
We draw a line of best-fit of the absorption line at the highest intensity
How can we calculate the optical band gap energy?
hc / onset wavelength
What shift occurs with increasing pi-conjugation?
A bathochromic shift occurs; this is consistent with the narrowing HOMO-LUMO band gap
What shift does increasing planarity lead to?
A bathochromic shift occurs; this is due to increased orbital overlap in planar systems
How does having a more regioregular backbone affect the band gap energy?
It leads to a smaller band gap (narrower HOMO-LUMO energies)
How does having a regioirregular backbone affect the band gap energy?
It leads to a larger bandgap and hence the weakest conductivity
What is an auxochrome?
A non-photoactive substituent that modifies the light-absorbing property of its chromophore (pi-system)
What effect do +M groups have on the band gap energy?
They lower the band gap energy, hence resulting in a bathochromic (red) shift
What effect do -M groups have on the band gap energy?
They increase the band gap energy, resulting in a hypsochromic (blue) shift
How can we increase the favourability of storing charge?
We are generally interested in stabilising the LUMO of the electron acceptor, enhancing the electron affinity
What happens when the applied voltage is approximately equal to the energy of the LUMO?
There is no driving force for the reaction to take place
What happens when the applied voltage is greater than the energy of the LUMO?
A reduction reaction can occur
How do we perform linear voltammetry?
We sweep our applied voltage in a single direction between two potentials