Pentacene
Pentacene, p-type semiconductor in OFETs
Paired with C60 to be used in devices for LED applications
Pentacene, an acene with flat-like molecules made of five linearly-fused benzene rings, has been extensively studied as a p-type semiconductor in organic field-effect transistors. It is known to exhibit large carrier mobilities of about 1 cm2 /V s within the plane parallel to the substrate.
Due to its large carrier mobilities, pentacene has also been used with C60 in heterojunction solar cells with a power conversion efficiency over 2.7% [1, 2, 4, 5] and made into devices for light-emitting diode applications [3, 6]
General Information
CAS number | 135-48-8 |
---|---|
Chemical formula | C22H14 |
Molecular weight | 278.35 g/mol |
Absorption* | λmax = 576 nm (in benzene) [11] |
Fluorescence | λem = 578 nm (in benzene) |
HOMO/LUMO | HOMO -4.9 eV, LUMO -3.0 eV |
Synonyms |
|
Classification / Family | Acene derivatives, Hole-injection layer materials, Hole transport layer materials, Phosphorescent host materials, Photovoltaic materials, Sublimed materials, Light-emitting diodes, Light emitting field-effect transistors (LEFETs), OFETs, OPVs, Organic electronics |
* Measurable with an optical spectrometer, see our spectrometer application notes.
Product Details
Purity | >99% (sublimed) |
---|---|
Melting point | 372-374 °C (subl.) |
Colour | purple-black crystals/powder |
Solvents | Pentacene is insoluble in most of the organic solvents. Trichlorobenzene is normally used to form solution at 60 - 120 °C [10] |
* Sublimation is a technique used to obtain ultra pure-grade chemicals, see sublimed materials for OLED devices.
Chemical Structure

Device Structure(s)
Device structure | ITO/Pentacene (45 nm)/C60 (50 nm)/BCP (10 nm)/Al [1] |
---|---|
Jsc (mA cm-2) | 15±3 |
Voc (V) | 0.363±0.03 |
FF (%) | 50±1 |
PCE (%) | 2.7±0.4 |
Device structure | ITO/pentacene:CuPc (4:96 wt%, 20 nm)/C60 (60 nm)/BCP (8 nm)/Al (80 nm) [2] |
---|---|
Jsc (mA cm-2) | 12.93 |
Voc (V) | 0.52 |
FF (%) | 46 |
PCE (%) | 3.06 |
Device structure | ITO/PEDOT:PSS/pentacene (10 nm)/Alq3 (30 nm)/Al [3] |
---|---|
Colour | Green ![]() |
Max. EQE | n/a |
Max. Current Efficiency | 8.2 cd/A |
MSDS Documentation
Literature and Reviews
- Efficient thin-film organic solar cells based on pentacene/C60 heterojunctions, S. Yoo et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 85, 5427 (2004); doi: 10.1063/1.1829777.
- Improving efficiency of organic photovoltaic cells with pentacene-doped CuPc layer, W.-B. Chen et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 91, 191109 (2007); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.2806195.
- Improved performance of organic light emitting diodes by pentacene as hole transporting layer, F. Zhang et al., Appl. Surf. Sci., 255, 1942–1945 (2008), doi:10.1016/j.apsusc.2008.06.166.
- Efficient organic photovoltaic diodes based on doped pentacene, J. H. Schön et al., Nature 403, 408-410 (2000). doi:10.1038/35000172.
- External Quantum Efficiency Above 100% in a Singlet-Exciton-Fission–Based Organic Photovoltaic Cell, D. N. Congreve et al., Science 340 (6130) 334-337 (2013). DOI: 10.1126/science.1232994.
- A pentacene-doped hole injection layer for organic light-emitting diodes, S. Shi et al., Semicond. Sci. Technol. 20, 1213-1216 (2005). http://iopscience.iop.org/0268-1242/20/12/012.
- Light emitting field-effect transistors with vertical heterojunctions based on pentacene and tris-(8-hydroxyquinolinato) aluminum, S. Cui et al., Org. Electronics, 22, 51-55 (2015). doi:10.1016/j.orgel.2015.03.029.
- Ambipolar pentacene/C60-based field-effect transistors with high hole and electron mobilities in ambient atmosphere, H. Yan et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 94, 023305 (2009); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3072608
- Low-Voltage, High-Mobility Pentacene Transistors with Solution-Processed High Dielectric Constant Insulators, C. D. Dimitrakopoulos et al., Adv. Mater., 11 (16), 1372-1375 (1999). DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1521-4095(199911)11:16<1372::AID-ADMA1372>3.0.CO;2-V.
- Direct Formation of Pentacene Thin Films by Solution Process, T. Minakata et al., Synth. Metals 153, 1–4 (2005).doi:10.1016/j.synthmet.2005.07.210.
- Electronic Absorption and Fluorescence of Phenylethynyl- Substituted Acenes, D. R. Maulding et al., J. Org. Chem., 34 (6), 1734–1736 (1969);DOI: 10.1021/jo01258a045.
To the best of our knowledge the information provided here is accurate. However, Ossila assume no liability for the accuracy of this page. The values provided are typical at the time of manufacture and may vary over time and from batch to batch. All products are for laboratory and research and development use only, and may not be used for any other purpose including health care, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food or commercial applications.