Researchers at the Swedish Umea University revealed that semiconducting polymers, placed on a layer of graphene, transport electrical charges more efficiently than when the same polymer is placed on a silicon substrate.
The researchers say that graphene enhances the charge transport through the polymer film, making it potentially useful for producing more efficient electronic devices like organic solar cells, OLEDs and more.
The scientists in this study used synchotron X-ray diffraction to learn how crystals are formed in a thin film of semiconducting polymers atop a layer of graphene. The results showed a much enhanced vertical charge transport compared to films on silicon. Another interesting result was that that the charge carrier mobility of a thicker polymer film (50 nanometers) was about 50 times higher than that of an ultra thin one (10 nanometers) deposited on graphene. The scientists state that the results of this study can assist in making efficient graphene-based organic devices by control of the crystallinity of the semiconducting film.