This technology describes an efficient method of synthesizing donor-acceptor cove-edge nanoribbons for use in organic solar panels and other organic photovoltaic devices.
Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are a potential source of stable, tunable, and power-efficient semiconductors for producing carbon-based solar panels and other organic photovoltaics. However, conventional methods of producing GNRs yield nanoribbons that are either electron-poor or electron-rich, but not both. Furthermore, the zero-band-gap nature of graphene can render it unfit for certain electronic applications. Currently, there are no graphene nanoribbons with width less than 10 nm, which can be required to open a sufficient enough electronic gap for certain transistors.
This technology describes a method of synthesizing graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) that consist of alternating electron-deficient and electron-rich subunits. These GNRs are approximately 5nm long, are highly soluble, and can be processed into thin films. Photovoltaics fabricated with these GNRs show a power conversion efficiency of about 8% without optimization. Additionally, because of their high absorption coefficients, good electron mobility, and sharp absorption edges, these GNRs can be used to design ultra-narrowband photodetectors that yield responses up to five times better than those achieved with other organic ultra-narrowband photodetectors.
Patent Pending
IR CU17289
Licensing Contact: Greg Maskel