Seok Ju Kang

Abstract Here, a facile route to fabricate thin ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) blend films with very low surface roughness based on spin‐coating and subsequent melt‐quenching is described. Amorphous PMMA in a blend film effectively retards the rapid crystallization of PVDF upon quenching, giving rise to a thin and flat ferroelectric film with nanometer scale β ‐type PVDF crystals. The still, flat interfaces of the blend film with metal electrode an

We describe a method of fabricating ferroelectric beta-type poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) thin films on Au substrate by the humidity controlled spin casting combined with rapid thermal treatment. Our method produces thin uniform ferroelectric PVDF film with ordered beta crystals consisting of characteristic needlelike microdomains. A capacitor with a 160nm thick ferroelectric PVDF film exhibits the remanent polarization and coercive voltage of ∼7.0μC∕cm2 and 8V, respectively, with the tempera

Sodium (Na) metal anodes with stable electrochemical cycling have attracted widespread attention because of their highest specific capacity and lowest potential among anode materials for Na batteries. The main challenges associated with Na metal anodes are dendritic formation and the low density of deposited Na during electrochemical plating. Here, we demonstrate a fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC)-based electrolyte with 1 M sodium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (NaFSI) salt for the stable and dense depo

Here, we introduce regenerated fibers of chitin (Chiber), the second most abundant biopolymer after cellulose, and propose its utility as a nonwoven fiber separator for lithium metal batteries (LMBs) that exhibits an excellent electrolyte-uptaking capability and Li-dendrite-mitigating performance. Chiber is produced by a centrifugal jet-spinning technique, which allows a simple and fast production of Chibers consisting of hierarchically aligned self-assembled chitin nanofibers. Following the scr

Abstract A new type of nonvolatile ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride‐ co ‐trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF‐TrFE)) memory based on an organic thin‐film transistor (OTFT) with a single crystal of tri‐isopropylsilylethynyl pentacene (TIPS‐PEN) as the active layer is developed. A bottom‐gate OTFT is fabricated with a thin P(VDF‐TrFE) film gate insulator on which a one‐dimensional ribbon‐type TIPS‐PEN single crystal, grown via a solvent‐exchange method, is positioned between the Au source and drain ele

Transparent conducting electrodes (TCEs) are considered to be an essential structural component of flexible organic solar cells (FOSCs). Silver nanowire (AgNW) electrodes are widely used as TCEs owing to their excellent electrical and optical properties. The fabrication of AgNW electrodes has faced challenges in terms of forming large uniform interconnected networks so that high conductivity and reproducibility can be achieved. In this study, a simple method for creating an intimate contact betw

We demonstrate significantly improved performance of a nonvolatile polymeric ferroelectric field effect transistor (FeFET) memory using nanoscopic confinement of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE) within self-assembled organosilicate (OS) lamellae. Periodic OS lamellae with 30 nm in width and 50 nm in periodicity were templated using block copolymer self-assembly. Confined crystallization of PVDF-TrFE not only significantly reduces gate leakage current but also facilitate

This work explores the formation of well-defined molecular p-n junctions in solution-processed self-assembled heterojunction solar cells using dodecyloxy-substituted contorted hexabenzocoronene (12-c-HBC) as a donor material and phenyl-C(70)-butyric acid methyl ester (PC(70)BM) as an acceptor. We find that the contorted 12-c-HBC molecules effectively assemble in solution to form a nested structure with the ball-shaped PC(70)BM. The result is a self-assembled molecular-scale p-n junction. When th

Enhancing the device performance of organic memory devices while providing high optical transparency and mechanical flexibility requires an optimized combination of functional materials and smart device architecture design. However, it remains a great challenge to realize fully functional transparent and mechanically durable nonvolatile memory because of the limitations of conventional rigid, opaque metal electrodes. Here, we demonstrate ferroelectric nonvolatile memory devices that use graphene

We studied systematically the influence of in situ postannealing treatment of ultrahigh vacuum grown polycrystalline pentacene thin film transistor. The gradual grain growth with the elimination of defects and misoriented crystallites is confirmed in x-ray diffraction (XRD) data and the atomic force microscopy image as the annealing temperature increases. The XRD data reveal that the pentacene molecules are packed parallel to each other in an upright position with a tilting angle of 15.5°. The p

Pattern array of CVD-grown single layer graphene (SLG) is demonstrated by using micro-patterned PDMS stamp. These ultrathin SLG electrodes can use as the source and drain for organic field effect transistors. The devices have high hole mobilities exceeding 10 cm2/Vs, high on-off current ratios larger than 107 and a low threshold voltage for switching. Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as ”Supporting Information”. Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edite

A polymer ferroelectric array embedded in an insulating paraelectric medium, with potential uses in nonvolatile memories, is fabricated by microimprinting poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) a patterned poly(dimethylsiloxane) with mold. The localized pressure induces a polymorphic transition into ferroelectric γ-type PVDF, whereas the unpressed raised areas (see figure) remain of the α type (paraelectric).

"Ball and socket" motif: The contorted dibenzotetrathienocoronene (6-DBTTC) forms a complex with the C(70) fullerene PC(70) BM embedded in an amorphous phase of PC(70) BM. The materials are processable into organic solar cells in solution. The power conversion efficiency is maximal when there is a 1:2 molar ratio of 6-DBTTC to PC(70) BM. Formation of the supramolecular complex directly affects charge separation in the active layer.