[Illinois] Synergistic Assembly of All-carbon Nanoscopic p/n Junctions

By Vincent C. Tung

University of California, Merced

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Abstract

All-carbon based photovoltaics comprised of n-type fullerenes and p-type single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are tantalizing candidates for light-harvesting and storage because of the advantageous carrier transport properties and improved mechanical/chemical stability. However, fullerenes tend to slip away from the graphitic basal plane by virtue of the weak van der Waals force between dissimilar graphitic allotropes. In this presentation, we will first explore a tailored strategy of improving the stability of these structures through wrapping them with "shaped" graphene nanoribbons, forming unprecedented photoconductive core-shell heterostructures. By exquisitely controlling the size and shape of the nanoribbons, various wrapping behaviors are observed and are integrated into photoelectric chemical cells for light-to-energy conversion. To rationally guide the synthesis and practically improve the overall power conversion efficiency, we have developed molecular dynamic simulations of C 60 -coated, graphene nanoribbon-wrapped carbon nanotubes that enable us to systematically construct a predictive model to explore the interplay between nanoribbon morphology and wrapping behavior. In the second part, theoretical modeling will show that the competition between the van der Waals and bending energies of the system has the profound implications on the wrapping direction and the morphology of final assembly, thus forming a tight feedback loop where device performance is optimized by improving assembly strategy and material control. A range of geometric effects including nanoribbon size, nanotube radius, and C 60 coverage density are also explored.

Bio

Dr. Tung is an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering at the University of California, Merced

Cite this work

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

  • Vincent C. Tung (2014), "[Illinois] Synergistic Assembly of All-carbon Nanoscopic p/n Junctions," https://nanohub.org/resources/20578.

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Submitter

NanoBio Node

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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