Coupled Organic–Inorganic Nanostructures with Mixed Organic Linker Molecules

The electronic properties of semiconducting inorganic lead sulfide (PbS) nanocrystals (NCs) and organic linker molecules are dependent on the size of NCs as well as the used ligands. Here, we demonstrate that a weakly binding ligand can be successfully attached to PbS NCs to form a coupled organic-inorganic nanostructure (COIN) by mixing with a strong binding partner. We use the weakly binding zinc β-tetraaminophthalocyanine (Zn4APc) in combination with the strongly binding 1,2-ethanedithiol (EDT) as a mixed ligand system and compare its structural, electronic, and (photo-)electrical properties with both single-ligand COINs. It is found that binding of Zn4APc is assisted by the presence of EDT leading to improved film homogeneity, lower trap density, and enhanced photocurrent of the derived devices. Thus, the mixing of ligands is a versatile tool to achieve COINs with improved performance.