Microscopic properties of ionic liquid/organic semiconductor interfaces revealed by molecular dynamics simulations
Yokota, Y.; Miyamoto, H.; Imanishi, A.; Takeya, J.; Inagaki, K.; Morikawa, Y.; Fukui, K.-I.
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics Pccp 20(18): 13075-13083
2018
ISSN/ISBN: 1463-9084
PMID: 29714378
DOI: 10.1039/c8cp01043a
Accession: 065317896
Electric double-layer transistors based on ionic liquid/organic semiconductor interfaces have been extensively studied during the past decade because of their high carrier densities at low operation voltages. Microscopic structures and the dynamics of ionic liquids likely determine the device performance; however, knowledge of these is limited by a lack of appropriate experimental tools. In this study, we investigated ionic liquid/organic semiconductor interfaces using molecular dynamics to reveal the microscopic properties of ionic liquids. The organic semiconductors include pentacene, rubrene, fullerene, and 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ). While ionic liquids close to the substrate always form the specific layered structures, the surface properties of organic semiconductors drastically alter the ionic dynamics. Ionic liquids at the fullerene interface behave as a two-dimensional ionic crystal because of the energy gain derived from the favorable electrostatic interaction on the corrugated periodic substrate.