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Acenes are benzene molecules with unique optoelectronic properties. Singlet fission solar cells can produce two electrons from one photon, making the cell more efficient.
December 8, 2023 Lior Kahana
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Virginia are planning to use acenes to develop the so-called singlet fission solar cells. Excitingly, acenes are benzene molecules with unique optoelectronic properties that make them a great candidate for this new technology. They are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons made up of benzene (C6H6) rings which have been linearly fused.
This innovative technology has the potential to change the solar energy industry as we know it. Singlet exciton fission is an effect seen in certain materials whereby a single photon can generate two electron-hole pairs as it is absorbed into a solar cell rather than the usual one. The groundbreaking effect was first observed by scientists as far back as the 1970s, and it has become an important area of research for some of the world’s leading institutes over the past decade.
Using acenes, researchers have the potential to develop solar cells that can produce two electrons from one photon. This cutting-edge process involves a quantum mechanical process where one singlet exciton (an electron-hole pair) is split into two triplet excitons. According to the researchers, acenes have the potential to display improved quantum yields in this process, making them a game-changer in solar cell technology.
This discovery is not without its challenges, however. The research team developed a new synthesis method to stabilize acenes. The process involves adding carbodicarbenes ligands to acenes that are already doped with boron and nitrogen. The scientists explained that acenes doped with these compounds have improved electronic properties. However, they are unstable when exposed to air or light, just like traditional acenes.
Despite the challenges, the research team is breaking new ground in the field. With the addition of the new ligand, the acenes became positively charged, which improved their stability and also gave them unique electronic properties. This discovery has the potential to revolutionize the stability and electronic properties of acenes in solar cell technology.
While most of the boron, nitrogen-doped acenes could only emit blue light, the researchers found that with their stabilization, they could produce different colors. This breakthrough means that depending on their length and types of chemical groups attached to the carbodicarben, they managed to build molecules that emit red, orange, yellow, green, or blue light, opening up a world of possibilities for their use in various applications.
The researchers are hopeful about the potential applications of their findings. They mentioned that they are in the very early stages of developing specific applications, whether it’s organic semiconductors, light-emitting devices, or singlet-fission-based solar cells. Their stabilization of acenes means that the device fabrication is expected to be much smoother than typical for these kinds of compounds, paving the way for exciting advancements in the future.
The researchers are already thinking ahead to future applications of their discovery. The stability and unique electronic properties of the acenes mean that red emission, for example, can be used for biological applications like imaging. Another potential application is to use the compounds as organic light-emitting diodes for screens, changing the way we think about technology as we know it.
The academics presented their findings in the study “Air- and photo-stable luminescent carbodicarbene-azaboraacenium ions,” published in nature chemistry.
This exciting discovery builds upon a previous MIT research group’s findings from 2019, where they demonstrated how singlet exciton fission could be applied to silicon solar cells and could lead to cell efficiencies as high as 35%. This new research has the potential to revolutionize solar cell efficiencies and pave the way for a more sustainable future, completely changing the landscape of solar energy as we know it. Exciting times are ahead!