Molecules producing different surface potentials (IMAGE)
Caption
New molecules created by researchers at Kyushu University align, on average, with the same part of the molecule pointing away from a surface. By attaching different units that push or pull negatively charged electrons toward or away from this orientation-determining section, the researchers could achieve electric fields in thin layers of the materials when the molecules spontaneously align upon deposition on a surface to create a giant surface potential. This figure shows two such molecules, with red indicating areas of more negative charge and blue areas of less negative charge. Although the common unit in the middle generally aligns away from the surface, the different surrounding units result in positive or even negative fields at the surface. This new level of control of electric fields in thin layers could be used to improve performance of organic light-emitting diodes and to realize new devices that convert vibrations into electricity.
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Kyushu University
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