Abstract :
[en] Efficient exciton transport is crucial to the application of organic semiconductors (OSCs) in light-harvesting devices. While the physics of exciton transport in highly disordered media is well-explored, the description of transport in structurally and energetically ordered OSCs is less established, despite such materials being favorable for devices. In this Perspective we describe and highlight recent research pointing toward a highly efficient exciton transport mechanism which occurs in ordered OSCs, transient delocalization. Here, exciton-phonon couplings play a critical role in allowing localized exciton states to temporarily access higher-energy delocalized states whereupon they move large distances. The mechanism shows great promise for facilitating long-range exciton transport and may allow for improved device efficiencies and new device architectures. However, many fundamental questions on transient delocalization remain to be answered. These questions and suggested next steps are summarized.
Funding text :
This work has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement number 758826). We acknowledge support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UK) via grant EP/W017091/1. A.J.S. acknowledges the Royal Society Te Apa̅rangi; the Cambridge Commonwealth European and International Trust; the Winton Programme for the Physics of Sustainability; and St John’s College, University of Cambridge for their financial support. D.B. is a Research Director of the Belgian ‘Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique’ (F.R.S.-FNRS).
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