Polarized X-ray scattering reveals non-crystalline orientational ordering in organic films

Collins BA, Cochran JE, Yan H, Gann E, Hub C, Fink R, Wang C, Schuettfort T, Mcneill CR, Chabinyc ML, Ade H (2012)

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2012

Journal

Nature Materials Nature Publishing Group

Original Authors: Collins B.A., Cochran J.E., Yan H., Gann E., Hub C., Fink R., Wang C., Schuettfort T., McNeill C.R., Chabinyc M.L., Ade H.

Publisher: Nature Publishing Group

Book Volume: 11

Pages Range: 536-543

Journal Issue: 6

DOI: 10.1038/nmat3310

Abstract

Molecular orientation critically influences the mechanical, chemical, optical and electronic properties of organic materials. So far, molecular-scale ordering in soft matter could be characterized with X-ray or electron microscopy techniques only if the sample exhibited sufficient crystallinity. Here, we show that the resonant scattering of polarized soft X-rays (P-SoXS) by molecular orbitals is not limited by crystallinity and that it can be used to probe molecular orientation down to size scales of 10nm. We first apply the technique on highly crystalline small-molecule thin films and subsequently use its high sensitivity to probe the impact of liquid-crystalline ordering on charge mobility in polymeric transistors. P-SoXS also reveals scattering anisotropy in amorphous domains of all-polymer organic solar cells where interfacial interactions pattern orientational alignment in the matrix phase, which probably plays an important role in the photophysics. The energy and q-dependence of the scattering anisotropy allows the identification of the composition and the degree of orientational order in the domains. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Authors with CRIS profile

Christian Hub
Rainer Fink Professur für Physikalische Chemie

Involved external institutions

North Carolina State University US United States (USA) (US) University of California US United States (USA) (US) University of California, Berkeley US United States (USA) (US) University of Cambridge GB United Kingdom (GB) Monash University AU Australia (AU)

How to cite

APA:

Collins, B.A., Cochran, J.E., Yan, H., Gann, E., Hub, C., Fink, R.,... Ade, H. (2012). Polarized X-ray scattering reveals non-crystalline orientational ordering in organic films. Nature Materials, 11(6), 536-543. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat3310

MLA:

Collins, B. A., et al. "Polarized X-ray scattering reveals non-crystalline orientational ordering in organic films." Nature Materials 11.6 (2012): 536-543.

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