Achieving high performance and stability simultaneously. newswise

Newswise – Under the direction of President Chul-Jin Choi, in collaboration with Professor Jin, the research team of Dr. Jae Ho Kim and Dr. Myungkwan Song from the Energy and Environmental Materials Research Division at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) -Pusan ​​National University Ke Woo Oh and Professor Jin Woo Choi of Kongju National University developed the hybrid bio-nanostructure. Using these nanostructures, they fabricated fibrous solar cells (FSCs) and fibrous organic light-emitting diodes (FOLEDs), which exhibit high performance and stability over a wide temperature range from minus 80 °C to 150 °C. The team reported a 40% increase in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the FSC and a 47% increase in the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the FOLED.

The ‘spin coating’ method, commonly used for coating metal nanoparticles, allows quick and simple fabrication of thin films. However, this method has the drawback of being unable to coat metal nanoparticles uniformly and systematically. To address this issue, the team synthesized ‘M13 bacteriophage’, a biomaterial that has the property of arranging metal nanoparticles evenly and systematically. M13 bacteriophage contains active groups that bind to metal cations, ensuring compatible arrangement of all metal cations. As a result, the hybrid bio-nanostructure synthesized from M13 bacteriophage exhibits high stability in air and moisture, and enables high-performance FSCs and FOLEDs. Furthermore, it was confirmed that it showed excellent characteristics in extreme environments (-80℃ and 150℃) and washing durability.

M13 bacteriophage can be used in a variety of electronic devices, including piezoelectric devices, solar cells, sensors, and organic light-emitting diodes. A distinctive feature of this technology is the ability to easily arrange and align metal nanoparticles when using hybrid bio-nanostructures. It can also maximize surface plasmonic effects, making it applicable to a wide range of electronic devices. If this technology is employed to accelerate localization and mass production, it is expected to generate significant economic benefits for electronic device companies.

Myungkwan Song, a principal investigator and leader of this research, said, “By using hybrid bio-nanostructures, we can improve both performance and stability in the field of electronic devices,” adding, “It has the potential to be applied in various hopefully.” Areas such as sensor materials as well as energy production and storage materials in the future.

This research was funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT through the Fundamental Project of KIMS (Development of Fiber-Type Energy Harvesting and Storage Platform) and the Mid-Career Researcher Support Project of the National Research Foundation of Korea. The results of the research were published on May 7 in Small Structures. Currently, the research team is continuing to conduct follow-up research to develop various bio-nanostructures for applications in organic electronic devices and in vitro diagnostic sensors.

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About Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS)

KIMS is a non-profit government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT of the Republic of Korea. As the only institute specializing in comprehensive materials technologies in Korea, KIMS has contributed to Korean industry by carrying out a wide range of materials science-related activities, including R&D, inspection, testing and evaluation, and technology support.