Achieving high simulation performance and stability

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), led by President Chul-jin Choi, in collaboration with Professor Jin-Woo Oh from Pusan ​​National University and Professor Jin Woo Choi from Kongju National University, developed hybrid bionanostructures. Using these nanostructures, they fabricated fiber solar cells (FSCs) and fiber organic light-emitting diodes (FOLEDs) that exhibit high efficiency and stability over a wide temperature range, from minus 80 degrees Celsius to 150 degrees Celsius. The team reported a 40% increase in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the FSCs and a 47% increase in the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the FOLEDs.

The “spin coating” method, commonly used to coat metal nanoparticles, enables quick and easy formation of thin films. However, this method has the disadvantage of not being able to evenly and orderly coat metal nanoparticles. To solve this problem, the team synthesized “bacteriophage M13,” a biomaterial that has the property of evenly and orderly arrangement of metal nanoparticles. Bacteriophage M13 has active groups that bind to metal cations, ensuring the coherent arrangement of all metal cations. As a result, the hybrid bionanostructure synthesized from bacteriophage M13 exhibits high stability in air and moisture, enabling the production of high-performance FSCs and FOLEDs. It was also confirmed to exhibit excellent properties under extreme conditions (-80℃ and 150℃) and washing durability.

Bacteriophage M13 can be used in a variety of electronic devices, including piezoelectric devices, solar cells, sensors, and organic light-emitting diodes. The hallmark of this technology is its ability to easily arrange and align metal nanoparticles using hybrid bio-nanostructures. It can also maximize the surface plasmonic effect, making it applicable to a wide range of electronic devices. If this technology is used to accelerate localization and mass production, it is expected to provide significant economic benefits to companies producing electronic devices.

Myungkwan Song, the principal investigator and head of this research, said, “By using hybrid bionanostructures, we can improve both the performance and stability in the field of electronic devices,” adding, “They are expected to find applications in various fields in the future, such as sensing materials as well as energy production and storage materials.”

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

————————————————————————-

###

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 the development of Korean industry by carrying out a wide range of activities related to materials science, including R&D, inspection, testing and evaluation, and technology support.