This volume presents the results of a multi-year research programme funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Council), which explains how organic solar cells work. In this new promising photovoltaic technology, carbon-based materials are deposited by low-cost methods onto flexible substrates, thus allowing devices which open completely new applications like transparent coatings for building, solar cells integrated into clothing or packages, and many more. The investigation of organic solar cells is an interdisciplinary topic, covering physics, chemistry and engineering. The different chapters address topics ranging from the synthesis of new organic materials, to the characterization of the elementary processes such as exciton transport and separation, and the principles of highly efficient device design. /div

Organic Electronics is a novel field of electronics that has gained an incredible attention over the past few decades. New materials, device architectures and applications have been continuously introduced by the academic and also industrial communities, and novel topics have raised strong interest in such communities, as molecular doping, thermoelectrics, bioelectronics and many others.Organic Flexible Electronics is mainly divided into three sections. The first part is focused on the fundamentals of organic electronics, such as charge transport models in these systems and new approaches for the design and synthesis of novel molecules. The first section addresses the main challenges that are still open in this field, including the important role of interfaces for achieving high-performing devices or the novel approaches employed for improving reliability issues.The second part discusses the most innovative devices which have been developed in recent years, such as devices for energy harvesting, flexible batteries, high frequency circuits, and flexible devices for tattoo electronics and bioelectronics.Finally the book reviews the most important applications moving from more standard flexible back panels to wearable and textile electronics and more futuristic applications like ingestible systems. - Reviews the fundamental properties and methods for optimizing organic electronic materials including chemical doping and techniques to address stability issues - Discusses the most promising organic electronic devices for energy, electronics, and biomedical applications - Addresses key applications of organic electronic devices in imagers, wearable electronics, bioelectronics

This book shows the different molecular devices used for solar energy conversion and storage and the important characterization techniques for this kind of device. It has five chapters describing representative molecule-based solar cells, such as organic solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells and hybrid solar cells (perovskite solar cell and quantum dots solar cells). It also includes two chapters demonstrating the use of molecular devices in the areas of solar fuel, water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction. There are further two chapters with interesting examples of solar energy storage related devices, like solar flow battery, solar capacitor and solar energy-thermal energy storage. Three chapters introduce important techniques used to characterize, investigate and evaluate the mechanism of molecular devices. The final chapter discusses the stability of perovskite solar cells. This book is relevant for a wide readership, and is particularly useful for students, researchers and industrial professionals who are working on molecular devices for solar energy utilization.

"Eco- and Renewable Energy Materials” provides a survey of the current topics and the major developmental trends in the rapidly growing research area of clean energy materials. This book covers, but is not limited to, photochemical materials (fuels from light), fuel cells (electricity from fuels), batteries (electricity storage), and hydrogen production and storage. This book is intended as a vehicle for the dissemination of research results on energy-based material science in the form of commissioned reviews and commentaries. This book is for scientists and engineers interested in energy-related materials, compounds and electronic devices. Prof. Yong Zhou is currently serving as a full professor at the Eco-Materials and Renewable Energy Research Center (ERERC), Nanjing University, China.

This book focuses on the materials used for fuel cells, solar panels, and storage devices, such as rechargeable batteries. Fuel cell devices, such as direct methanol fuel cells, direct ethanol fuel cells, direct urea fuel cells, as well as biological fuel cells and the electrolytes, membranes, and catalysts used there are detailed. Separate chapters are devoted to polymer electrode materials and membranes. With regard to solar cells, the types of solar cells are detailed, such as inorganic-organic hybrid solar cells, solar powered biological fuel cells, heterojunction cells, multi-junction cells, and others. Also, the fabrication methods are described. Further, the electrolytes, membranes, and catalysts used there are detailed. The section that is dealing with rechargeable batteries explains the types of rechargeable devices, such as aluminum-based batteries, zinc batteries, magnesium batteries, and lithium batteries. Materials that are used for cathodes, anodes and electrolytes are detailed. The text focuses on the basic issues and also the literature of the past decade. Beyond education, this book may serve the needs of polymer specialists as well as other specialists, e.g., materials scientists, electrochemical engineers, etc., who have only a passing knowledge of these issues, but need to know more.

This book covers in a textbook-like fashion the basics or organic solar cells, addressing the limits of photovoltaic energy conversion and giving a well-illustrated introduction to molecular electronics with focus on the working principle and characterization of organic solar cells. Further chapters based on the author’s dissertation focus on the electrical processes in organic solar cells by presenting a detailed drift-diffusion approach to describe exciton separation and charge-carrier transport and extraction. The results, although elaborated on small-molecule solar cells and with focus on the zinc phthalocyanine: C60 material system, are of general nature. They propose and demonstrate experimental approaches for getting a deeper understanding of the dominating processes in amorphous thin-film based solar cells in general. The main focus is on the interpretation of the current-voltage characteristics (J-V curve). This very standard measurement technique for a solar cell reflects the electrical processes in the device. Comparing experimental to simulation data, the author discusses the reasons for S-Shaped J-V curves, the role of charge carrier mobilities and energy barriers at interfaces, the dominating recombination mechanisms, the charge carrier generation profile, and other efficiency-limiting processes in organic solar cells. The book concludes with an illustrative guideline on how to identify reasons for changes in the J-V curve. This book is a suitable introduction for students in engineering, physics, material science, and chemistry starting in the field of organic or hybrid thin-film photovoltaics. It is just as valuable for professionals and experimentalists who analyze solar cell devices.

Advances in Heterocyclic Chemistry, Volume 129 is the definitive series in the field—one of great importance to organic chemists, polymer chemists and many biological scientists. Because biology and organic chemistry increasingly intersect, the associated nomenclature also is being used more frequently in explanations. Written by established authorities in the field from around the world, this comprehensive, updated release includes chapters on Metal-Catalyzed Direct Arylation of 1,2-Azoles, The Literature of Heterocyclic Chemistry, Part XVII, 2017, Pyrrolo-, Imidazoquinolines and Pyrroloquinazolines with a Bridgehead Nitrogen, Synthesis and Reactions of Arsole, Stibole, and Bismole, Advances in Synthesis and Chemistry of Aziridines, and more. - Considered the definitive serial in the field of heterocyclic chemistry - Serves as the go-to reference for organic chemists, polymer chemists and many biological scientists - Provides the latest comprehensive reviews written by established authorities in the field - Combines descriptive synthetic chemistry and mechanistic insight to enhance understanding of how chemistry drives the preparation and useful properties of heterocyclic compounds

This book reviews various aspects of molecular spectroscopy and its application in materials science, chemistry, physics, medicine, the arts and the earth sciences. Written by an international group of recognized experts, it examines how complementary applications of diverse spectroscopic methods can be used to study the structure and properties of different materials. The chapters cover the whole spectrum of topics related to theoretical and computational methods, as well as the practical application of spectroscopic techniques to study the structure and dynamics of molecular systems, solid-state crystalline and amorphous materials, surfaces and interfaces, and biological systems. As such, the book offers an invaluable resource for all researchers and postgraduate students interested in the latest developments in the theory, experimentation, measurement and application of various advanced spectroscopic methods for the study of materials.

This book presents the environmental benefits of nanomaterials in agriculture, water purification and nanomedicine. Nanotechnology will modify the environment both in a positive and negative way. On the one hand, new nanomaterials are promising for reducing greenhouse gases, cleaning toxic wastes and building alternative energy sources. On the other hand, some toxic nanoparticles enter and disrupt ecosystems. Therefore, research should focus on the sustainable use of nanomaterials to avoid environmental contamination. This volume is the first of several volumes on Environmental Nanotechnology, which will be published in the series Environmental Chemistry for a Sustainable World.

This volume, Nanomaterials-Based Composites for Energy Applications: Emerging Technology and Trends, covers the importance of nanomaterials-based composites for renewable and alternative energy applications. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, it looks at using composites without losing the extraordinary strength of the nanomaterials, preparing new composites with high dielectric permittivity, improving load-carrying capacity, and more. Simulation and experimental work is included, providing a current view of the research that is going on in laboratories all over the world. The book will be a rich reference for professors and instructors, professionals, researchers, and engineering students interested in applying the emerging field of nanoscience and nanotechnology to energy applications.