Staff directory Zhiren Zhang

Publications

2017

• Angle-Dependent Photoluminescence Spectroscopy of Solution-Processed Organic Semiconducting Nanobelts

  Wang M., Gong Y., Alzina F., Sotomayor Torres C.M., Li H., Zhang Z., He J. Journal of Physical Chemistry C; 121 (22): 12441 - 12446. 2017. 10.1021/acs.jpcc.7b02958. IF: 4.536

  We report an anomalous anisotropy in photoluminescence (PL) from crystalline nanobelt of an organic small-molecule semiconductor, 6,13-dichloropentacene (DCP). Large-area well-aligned DCP nanobelt arrays are readily formed by self-assembly through solution method utilizing the strong anisotropic interactions between molecules. The absorption spectrum of the arrays suggests the formation of both intramolecular exciton and intermolecular exciton. However, the results of angle-dependent PL spectroscopy indicate that the PL arises only from the relaxation of intramolecular exciton, which has an optical transition dipole moment with an angle of 115° with the long-axis of the nanobelts. The angular dependence of PL signals follows a quartic rule (IPL(θ) ∞ cos4(θ - 115)) and agrees well with the optical selection rule of individual DCP molecules. The measured polarization ratio ρ from the individual nanobelts is on average 0.91 ± 0.02, superior to that of prior-art organic semiconductors. These results provide new insights into exciton behavior in 1D π-π stacking organic semiconductors and demonstrate DCP's great potential in the photodetectors and optical switches for large-scale organic optoelectronics. © 2017 American Chemical Society.

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• Raman antenna effect from exciton-phonon coupling in organic semiconducting nanobelts

  Wang M., Gong Y., Alzina F., Svoboda O., Ballesteros B., Sotomayor Torres C.M., Xiao S., Zhang Z., He J. Nanoscale; 9 (48): 19328 - 19336. 2017. 10.1039/c7nr07212k. IF: 7.367

  The highly anisotropic interactions in organic semiconductors together with the soft character of organic materials lead to strong coupling between nuclear vibrations and exciton dynamics, which potentially results in anomalous electrical, optical and optoelectrical properties. Here, we report on the Raman antenna effect from organic semiconducting nanobelts 6,13-dichloropentacene (DCP), resulting from the coupling of molecular excitons and intramolecular phonons. The highly ordered crystalline structure in DCP nanobelts enables the precise polarization-resolved spectroscopic measurement. The angle-dependent Raman spectroscopy under resonant excitation shows that all Raman modes from the skeletal vibrations of DCP molecule act like a nearly perfect dipole antenna IRaman ∝ cos4(θ - 90), with almost zero (maximum) Raman scattering parallel (perpendicular) to the nanobelt's long-axis. The Raman antenna effect in DCP nanobelt is originated from the coupling between molecular skeletal vibrations and intramolecular exciton and the confinement of intermolecular excitons. It dramatically enhances the Raman polarization ratio (ρ =I∥/I⊥ > 25) and amplifies the anisotropy of the angle-dependent Raman scattering (κRaman = Imax/Imin > 12) of DCP nanobelts. These findings have crucial implications for fundamental understanding on the exciton-phonon coupling and its effects on the optical properties of organic semiconductors. © 2017 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

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