In this paper, we compare four different methods to estimate nanoparticle diameters from optical absorption measurements, using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images as a reference for the nanoparticle size. Three solutions of colloidal nanoparticles coated with thiophenol with different diameters were synthesized by thiolate decomposition. The nanoparticle sizes were controlled by the addition of a certain volume of a 1% sulphur solution in toluene. TEM measurements showed that the average diameter for each type of these nanoparticles was 2.8 nm, 3.2 nm, and 4.0 nm. The methods studied for the calculation of the nanoparticles diameter were: The Brus model, the hyperbolic band model (HBM), the Henglein model, and the Yu equation. We evaluated the importance of a good knowledge of the nanoparticle bandgap energy, and the nature of electronic transitions in the semiconductor. We studied the effects that small variations in the electron and hole effective mass values produced in the Brus equation and in the HBM model for CdS, PbS, and ZnS nanoparticles. Finally, a comparison was performed between the data provided by these models and the experimental results obtained with TEM images. In conclusion, we observed that the best approximation to the experimental results with TEM images was the Brus equation. However, when the bandgap energy was close to the bulk bandgap energy, the theoretical models did not adjust correctly to the size measured from the TEM images.

Immiscibility between dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and polar solvents used for poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) solutions, leads to failed light-emitting diodes when colloidal cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles capped with thiophenol are incorporated to their active layer. To prevent this, a heat treatment is applied to the CdS nanoparticles in order to evaporate DMSO solvent. After evaporation most of the nanoparticles increased their size, and some of them show hexagonal crystalline structure instead of the original cubic zinc-blende observed in colloidal pre-treated nanoparticles. Nevertheless, enhanced electronic properties are measured in light-emitting devices when DMSO-free nanoparticles are embedded in the poly(N-vinylcarbazole) active layer. Light emission from these hybrid devices comprises the whole visible range of wavelengths as searched for white LEDs. Moreover, electroluminescence from both types of CdS nanoparticles (smaller cubic and bigger hexagonal) has been discriminated and interpreted through Gaussian deconvolution.

In this study, poly(9-vinylcarbazole) (PVK)-based LEDs doped with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and cadmium sulphide (CdS) nanocrystals were fabricated by spin-coating. The hybrid LED structure was a layer sequence of glass/indium tin oxide (ITO)/PEDOT:PSS|rGO/PVK/Al. rGO was included in the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) layer due to its energy bands being close to PEDOT:PSS bands, and the possibility of using water for dispersing both polymer and flakes. Optical properties such as photoluminescence and UV-Vis absorption were not affected by the addition of rGO to the PEDOT:PSS solution. However, PVK-based LEDs with rGO showed increased current density compared to those without rGO in the hole transporting layer. Higher electroluminescence intensities were observed for rGO-enriched LEDs, although the shape of the spectrum was not modified. LEDs including CdS nanocrystals in the poly(9-vinylcarbazole) emissive layer did not show such dependence on the rGO presence. Though the addition of rGO to PEDOT:PSS still produces a slightly higher current density in CdS doped LEDs, this growth is no longer proportional to the rGO load.

This paper presents the electrical characteristics of solution-processed organic photodetectors based on poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) semiconducting polymer layers deposited by spin-coating on interdigitated metal electrodes. Four different electrode shapes have been used for this study in order to appraise the optimum electrode geometry. The measurement of the resistance as a function of the temperature reveals a transition from negative to positive temperature coefficient material around 80 °C for the polymer layers. Besides, slow reversible changes in the photodetectors conductivity were observed when moved from vacuum to the air and under illumination with a xenon lamp, which can be explained by the formation of charge transfer complexes with molecular oxygen and the polymer. The photogenerated current-light power ratio was found to be approximately linear in the 200 to 550 mW/cm² range.

In this article, we compare two different kinds of commercial light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in transmission and organic photodetectors based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and a phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) blend used as active layer in reception. Photovoltaic cells based on massive heterojunctions of semiconductor polymers have focused the attention of researchers due to their several potential advantages over their inorganic counterparts, such as their simplicity, low cost, and ability to process large area devices, even on flexible substrates. Furthermore, in logistics, storage management systems require the implementation of technological solutions that allow the control of merchandise in real time by means of light-emitting diode signals that send information about the product. However, the slow response time of these organic photodetectors should not be critical for this application, where the light intensity changes are very slow, which limits the speed of data transmission compared to inorganic based systems that use wireless optical communications. Finally, we show a low-cost visible light communication system based on organic photodetectors with a frame based on on-off keying with Manchester encoding to support device-to-device connections.

Energy consumption has increased exponentially over the last decades. This fact reflects the price of the electrical energy. Consequently, the scientific community has concentrated on generation procedures from renewable sources. In this sense, the efficiency of conventional photovoltaic cells and the emergence of new organic and hybrid materials have substantially improved photovoltaic generation and its Power Conversion Efficiency (PCE). The interest in organic cells has been justified by their beneficial properties: ease of processing, low cost, flexibility, and low weight. Recently, the increasing PCE evolution has been higher than that of the classical technologies, reaching values up to 17.5%. Notwithstanding that, there are still several challenges to deal with. Amongst them, there is the lifetime of these devices. In certain contexts, the fabrication conditions and their associated parameters constrain the time degradation of the physical properties of the organic device. This study assessed how time degradation affects organic cells, in which certain fabrication parameters were varied. In particular, this work evaluated cells with the following structure: ITO/PEDOT:PSS/P3HT:PCBM/Al. The analysis focused on parameters such as PEDOT:PSS solution volume, P3HT:PCBM solution ratio, solution temperature, and layered dopants. The results obtained in terms of PCE, V_oc, and I_sc provide insights on the possible dependences for the lifetime degradation. Finally, in light of the results, this work proposed several analytical models that aid in the fitting of the degradation curves for the studied materials and their fabrication parameters.