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Abstract

Improving the dispersion of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) within organic semiconductor (OSC) matrices remains critical for advancing hybrid nanocomposite optoelectronic technologies. This study investigates how film-deposition kinetics influence the morphology of TIPS-tetracene (TIPS-Tc):PbS QD blends, comparing spin-coating and blade coating for QDs ligated with either native oleic acid (OA) or a matched carboxylic acid functionalised tetracene analogue (TET-CA). Films spun-cast at low spin speeds form highly crystalline TIPS-Tc domains with highly aggregated QDs. Increased spin speed induces a deeper solvent quench, driving rapid TIPS-Tc nucleation while kinetically arresting QD diffusion, which improves QD dispersion within the crystalline matrix. TIPS-Tc:PbS-OA blends typically exhibit poor QD dispersibility due to poor matching between the OA ligands and the TIPS-Tc matrix. This work demonstrates that through employing high spin speeds QD dispersibilities may be significantly enhanced, even for PbS-OA, a significant step demonstrating that QD-OSC surface chemistries may not have to be fully matched to attain desired, well-dispersed morphologies. In contrast, blade-coating proceeds under slower solvent removal, resulting in weakly crystalline TIPS-Tc and extensive QD aggregation due to extended diffusion and delayed nucleation. These findings reveal the critical role of processing kinetics in directing OSC-QD self-assembly, essential for the optimisation of nanocomposite morphologies for next-generation optoelectronic devices.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-23-2026

Notes/Citation Information

Publisher Copyright: This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2026

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1039/d5ma01330e

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