Polariton-assisted excitation energy channeling in organic heterojunctions.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33767204.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-021-22183-3 and PMC identifier 7994571.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Exciton-polaritons are hybrid light-matter states resulting from strong exciton-photon coupling. The wave function of the polariton is a mixture of light and matter, enabling long-range energy transfer between spatially separated chromophores. Moreover, their delocalized nature, inherited from the photon component, has been predicted to enhance exciton transport. Here, we strongly couple an organic heterojunction consisting of energy/electron donor and acceptor materials to the same cavity mode. Using time-resolved spectroscopy and optoelectrical characterization, we show that the rate of exciton harvesting is enhanced with one order of magnitude and the rate of energy transfer in the system is increased two- to threefold in the strong coupling regime. Our results exemplify two means of efficiently channeling excitation energy to a heterojunction interface, where charge separation can occur. This study opens a new door to increase the overall efficiency of light harvesting systems using the tool of strong light-matter interactions.