Protective Effects of L- and D-Carnosine on R-Crystallin Amyloid Fibril Formation: Implications for Cataract Disease

Mildly denaturing conditions induce bovine ?-crystallin, the major structural lens protein, to self-assemble into fibrillar structures in vitro. The natural dipeptide L-carnosine has been shown to have potential protective and therapeutic significance in many diseases. Carnosine derivatives have been proposed as potent agents for ophthalmic therapies of senile cataracts and diabetic ocular complications. Here we report the inhibitory effect induced by the peptide (L- and D-enantiomeric form) on ?-crystallin fibrillation and the almost complete restoration of the chaperone activity lost after denaturant and/or heat stress. Scanning force microscopy (SFM), thioflavin T, and a turbidimetry ass…

THIN-FILM HETROJUNCTION BY CARBON NANOTUBE DERIVATIVES WITH ENHANCED SOLUBILITY AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES

The combination of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), characterized by high electron mobility, with p-type semiconducting polymers could lead to an overall improvement in the exciton dissociation and carrier extraction efficiencies in practical devices.1However, one of the main concern in the use of SWNTs, relates to the their scarce solubility. Chemical modification has been widely employed to increase the solubility of SWNTs, but usual reaction conditions limit such syntheses to a small scale with low productivity. Here, we employ SWNTs which have been functionalized with aromatic and heteroaromatic moieties via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition and through diazotization reaction under batch…

Multi-doped Brookite-Prevalent TiO2 Photocatalyst with Enhanced Activity in the Visible Light

© 2018 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature Abstract: Enabling solar and/or visible light-driven photocatalysis is a crucial step to access innovative applications in environmental science and sustainable energy. Titanium dioxide is the most used photocatalyst because of its low cost and toxicity, however it is also limitedly active under visible light irradiation due to its wide band gap. Among its polymorphs, brookite holds promising optoelectronic properties for visible light photocatalysis, which have to the best of our knowledge been limitedly exploited. Here, a C,S,N-doped brookite-based TiO2has been prepared via a rapid one-pot sol–gel synthesis. Besides subs…

Carnosine Inhibits Aβ42Aggregation by Perturbing the H-Bond Network in and around the Central Hydrophobic Cluster

Aggregation of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) into fibrillar structures is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Thus, preventing self-assembly of the Aβ peptide is an attractive therapeutic strategy. Here, we used experimental techniques and atomistic simulations to investigate the influence of carnosine, a dipeptide naturally occurring in the brain, on Aβ aggregation. Scanning force microscopy, circular dichroism and thioflavin T fluorescence experiments showed that carnosine does not modify the conformational features of Aβ42 but nonetheless inhibits amyloid growth. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations indicated that carnosine interacts transiently with monomeric Aβ42 by salt bridges with charge…

Organic films for the conservation of archaeological artefacts in bronze: evaluation of corrosion protection by surface analytical techniques

Bulk heterojunctions by boramers for plastic photovoltaics

(E)-2-cyano-3-(5'-piperidin-1-yl-2,2'-bithien-5-yl)acrylic acid: a new fluorescent probe for detecting prefibrillar oligomers

Poly(naphthalenediimidequaterthiophene):Poly(hexyilthiophene) Heterojunctions. Efficient Polymer-to-Polymer Electron Transfer Interfaces

Organic thin films solar cells and plastic solar cells [1] have attracted the attention of the scientific community especially as regards the performance of new conjugated polymers including their interfaces [2-4]. In this work, poly(naphthalenediimidequaterthiophene) (PNDIT4) and poly(hexyilthiophene) (P3HT) have been employed, for the first time, for engineering planar and bulk heterojunctions by the synergetic use of two techniques: electropolymerization and layer by layer deposition. Electropolymerization has been used for obtaining PNDIT4 thin films on transparent ITO/PET electrodes, starting from the synthesized monomer. Inverse Langmuir-Schaefer technique has been employed for deposi…

SPM and TOF-SIMS investigation of the physical and chemical modification induced by tip writing of self-assembled monolayers

Abstract The nanoelectrochemical modification of alkyl self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) obtained on hydrogenated silicon surfaces via radical-initiated reactions of 1-octadecene has been investigated. Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) showed that the modification of the organic layer occurs by applying either positive or negative biases to the tip at a threshold of about ±5 V. When the bias absolute value was ≤6 V, the height of the monolayer was only faintly modified, whereas a consistent increase in tip/sample friction force was observed, in agreement with the formation of hydrophilic moieties at the organic surface. In addition to the increase of friction, bias absolute values larger than …

Designing trehalose-conjugated peptides for the inhibition of Alzheimer’s Aβ oligomerization and neurotoxicity

Carnosine inhibits amyloid fibril formation of alpha crystallin under destabilizing conditions

(E)-2-Cyano-3-(5′-piperidin-1-yl-2,2′-bithien-5-yl)acrylic Acid: A Fluorescent Probe for Detecting Prefibrillar Oligomers

The synthesis of (E)-2-cyano-3-(5′-piperidin-1-yl-2,2′-bithien-5-yl)acrylic acid, a novel amyloid aggregation fluorescent probe, is reported. This new probe is able to monitor soluble oligomeric aggregates after 24 h, at which time Thioflavin T emission, commonly used to monitor amyloid fibril formation, remains unchanged. Atomic force microscopy, native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and dynamic light scattering confirm that the earlier stages of aggregation are prefibrillar oligomeric species not possessing the amyloid structure. This new molecular scaffold expands the toolbox of fluorescent probes for the identification of prefibrillar oligomers, which is needed in studies aimed at …

Engeneering 3D Nanoscale Order in Molecular thin films for organic photovoltaics

Beta-amyloid monomers are neuroprotective

The 42-aa-long β-amyloid protein—Aβ1-42—is thought to play a central role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) (Walsh and Selkoe, 2007). Data from AD brain (Shankar et al., 2008), transgenic APP (amyloid precursor protein)-overexpressing mice (Lesné et al., 2006), and neuronal cultures treated with synthetic Aβ peptides (Lambert et al., 1998) indicate that self-association of Aβ1-42monomers into soluble oligomers is required for neurotoxicity. The function of monomeric Aβ1-42is unknown. The evidence that Aβ1-42is present in the brain and CSF of normal individuals suggests that the peptide is physiologically active (Shoji, 2002). Here we show that synthetic Aβ1-42monomers support …

Size-controlled magnetic nanoparticles in surfactant-rich thin films: a combined EXAFS, SAXS, AFM and MFM study

Nanoscale control in organic bulk heterojunctions of new set of materials for photovoltaic applications

Self-organization and nanostructural control in thin film heterojunctions.

In spite of more than two-decades of studies of molecular self-assembly, the achievement of low cost, easy-to-implement and multi-parameter bottom-up approaches to address the supramolecular morphology in three-dimensional (3D) systems is still missing. In the particular case of molecular thin films, the 3D nanoscale morphology and function are crucial for both fundamental and applied research. Here we show how it is possible to tune the 3D film structure (domain size, branching, etc.) of thin film heterojunctions with nanoscale accuracy together with the modulation of their optoelectronic properties by employing an easy two-step approach. At first we prepared multi-planar heterojunctions w…

3D nanoscale ordered architectures in thin films for organic electronics

Order in molecular thin films is of fundamental importance to gain and exploit a series of properties in nanotechnology. In this contest, engineering 2D supramolecular and molecular superstructures is of particular interest. They offer great possibilities for several applications whose achievement also allows for new theoretical approaches and nanoscale laws [1]. A natural extension of 2D nanopatterning concerns the attainment of a 3D nanoscale control in molecular films [2]. This question is complex to challenge and it is of ultimate importance in emerging fields like organic and hybrid photovoltaics, organic thin film transistors and sensors as well as plastic electronics. For example, th…

Polyoxometalate – rich thin films with controlled structure and function for designer electronics

During the last two decades, polyoxometalates (POMs) have attracted growing attention due to their potential application as functional materials potentially enabling new device design and opening new areas of technology. POMs are metal-oxide clusters of early transition metals Mo, W, V, etc with a diverse range of structures and properties, such as reversible electrical capacitance,[1] programmable surface 0D, 2D or 3D structure[2] which could together be of potential application in ultra-high-density data storage,[3],5 catalysis[4] and also in medicine as antiviral drugs.[5] In the present work, we show that it is possible to assemble structured thin-films by the self-assembly/organization…

Inhibition of α-crystallin amyloid fibrils formation by carnosine

The zero field self-organization of cobalt/surfactant nanocomposite thin films

Cobalt nanostructures have been prepared by a chemical route based on the Co(II) reduction in the confined space of cobalt bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (Co(DEHSS)(2)) reverse micelles dispersed in n-heptane. This procedure involves the rapid formation of surfactant softly coated Co nanostructures followed by a slow separation process of the magnetic-field responsive Co/surfactant nanocomposites from the liquid phase. The detailed structure of thin films of the Co/surfactant nanocomposites has been investigated by scanning force microscopy (SFM). The thin films were characterized by different anisotropic features. Micrometric long domains of self-aligned ellipsoidal NPs (tens of nanometer…

Controlled 3D Interfacing of Three Components Thin Films for Photovoltaics

One of the main problems related to the low performance of the organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices, concerns the low mobility of the materials forming the heterojunction. For this reason, there is competition between the sweep-out and recombination of the photogenerated carriers within the thin film bulk heterojunction (BHJ). To overcome this problem, it is usual to operate by reducing the thickness of the active layer, so that the recombination of charge carriers is inhibited. This choice, however, also translates into a lower absorption of light by the active film itself. Plasmonic structures allow to reduce the "physical" thickness of heterojunction, maintaining constant the "optical" thi…

CONTROLLED CHEMICAL FUNCTIONALIZATION OF CARBON NANOSTRUCTURES FOR ORGANIC PHOTOVOLTAICS AND FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS

Inkjet Printing Quasi-Miscible Droplets for Pseudo-Planar Organic Heterojunctions

Copper(II) and zinc(II) interaction with abeta42: effects of metal binding on peptide's aggregation rate and morphology of the aggregates

Aqueous Processed Biopolymer Interfaces for Single-Cell Microarrays

Single-cell microarrays are emerging tools to unravel intrinsic diversity within complex cell populations, opening up new approaches for the in-depth understanding of highly relevant diseases. However, most of the current methods for their fabrication are based on cumbersome patterning approaches, employing organic solvents and/or expensive materials. Here, we demonstrate an unprecedented green-chemistry strategy to produce single-cell capture biochips onto glass surfaces by all-aqueous inkjet printing. At first, a chitosan film is easily inkjet printed and immobilized onto hydroxyl-rich glass surfaces by electrostatic immobilization. In turn, poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether is graft…

Improved performance in flexible organic solar cells by using copolymeric phase-separation modulators

One of the main problems related to the low performance of the organic solar cells (OSCs), concerns the low mobility of the materials constituting the heterojunction. Indeed, the poor charge transport in the active layer is the principal cause of a competition between separation and recombination of the photogenerated carriers. In this regard, a major obstacle to enhance OSCs efficiency is developing strategies to optimize the exciton dissociation and, consequently, the charge collection at the electrodes. Donor and acceptor systems must be well mixed on the length scale of 5 – 20 nm (exciton diffusion length) to meet the criteria for efficient exciton dissociation. In addition, the network…

Boramers for Photovoltaic Applications

Design and synthesis of new trehalose-conjugated pentapeptides as inhibitors of Aβ(1-42) fibrillogenesis and toxicity

Aggregation of the amyloid A? peptide and its accumulation into insoluble deposits (plaques) are believed to be the main cause of neuronal dysfunction associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD); small molecules that can interfere with the A? amyloid fibril formation are therefore of interest for a potential therapeutic strategy. Three new trehalose-conjugated peptides of the well known ?-sheet breaker peptide iA?5p,were synthesized. The disaccharide was covalently attached to different sites of the LPFFD peptide chain, i.e. at the N-terminus, C-terminus or at the Asp side chain. CD spectroscopy in different solvents was used to assess changes in the peptide conformation of these compounds. Th…

Semitransparent Design of Planar n-i-p Perovskite Solar Cells using a Cost-Effective, Perovskite-Compatible DMD Structure as the Top Electrode

In recent years, a significant emphasis has been placed on developing multi-functional solar cells that integrate new features such as color and transparency, thereby opening up the possibility of unconventional photovoltaic (PV) applications, including building-integrated PV (BIPV) systems, tandem solar cells, and wearable electronics. In particular, the integration of semitransparent (ST) solar cells into buildings as power-generating windows, facades or other aesthetic architectural elements constitutes one of the most intriguing perspectives [1]. Since silicon-based panels are generally opaque and unaesthetic, there has been a growing research interest in emerging thin-film solar cells …

Nonprecious Copper‐Based Transparent Top Electrode via Seed Layer–Assisted Thermal Evaporation for High‐Performance Semitransparent n‐i‐p Perovskite Solar Cells

Semitransparent perovskite solar cells (ST‐PSCs) are highly attractive for applications in building‐integrated photovoltaics as well as in multijunction tandem devices. To fabricate high‐performance ST‐PSCs, suitable transparent top electrodes are strongly needed. Dielectric/metal/dielectric (DMD) multilayer structures have been shown to be promising candidates, though generally based on high‐value metals such as gold or silver, the latter causing also stability issues by reacting with perovskite. Here, a novel DMD transparent electrode based on nonprecious, less‐reactive copper is developed via thermal evaporation and used as a top anode in the fabrication of high‐performance semitranspare…

Copper(ii) and zinc(ii) dependent effects on Aβ42 aggregation: a CD, Th-T and SFM study

A? aggregation is a central event in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In vitro evidence indicates that A? aggregation and fibrillogenesis are significantly influenced by the employed experimental conditions. Indeed, although it is widely established that metal ions, such as copper and zinc, have significant effects on the A? aggregation process, their actual role in A? fibrillogenesis is still debated. In this work the effects of a molar excess of zinc(ii) and/or copper(ii) ions on the A?42 aggregation process and the morphology of the resultant aggregates have been compared in samples exhibiting different initial conformations. CD spectroscopy, Th-T-induced fluorescence and Scanning Force Microsc…

Surface Characterization of Organic Films for the Conservation of Bronze Archaeological Artefacts

Solution processed pentacene thin films: new routes for building-up plastic field effect transistors

3D Order for Improved Organic Solar Cells Effiency

Eterogiunzioni bulk a base di polimeri di borani per celle fotovoltaiche flessibili

An insight into the functionalisation of carbon nanotubes by diazonium chemistry: Towards a controlled decoration

The derivatisation of materials including iron, gold, and carbon by addition of diazonium salts is a reliable process to tune their interfacial interaction with the surrounding media. In this regard, the functionalisation of carbon nanostructures by diazonium chemistry is a versatile strategy to obtain soluble nanomaterials with degrees of functionalisation among the highest ever reported. Starting from these premises we have studied the functionalisation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes by addition of the aryl diazonium salts generated in situ by treatment of 4-methoxyaniline with isopentylnitrite. Following a thorough purification and characterisation protocol (UV-vis, TGA, ATR-IR, cyclic…

Effect of the heat treatment on α-crystallin : characterisation of amyloid fibrils formation and inhibitory effect of carnosine

Polymeric Thin Films for Organic Electronics: Properties and Adaptive Structures

This review deals with the correlation between morphology, structure and performance of organic electronic devices including thin film transistors and solar cells. In particular, we report on solution processed devices going into the role of the 3D supramolecular organization in determining their electronic properties. A selection of case studies from recent literature are reviewed, relying on solution methods for organic thin-film deposition which allow fine control of the supramolecular aggregation of polymers confined at surfaces in nanoscopic layers. A special focus is given to issues exploiting morphological structures stemming from the intrinsic polymeric dynamic adaptation under non-…

Assembling 3D Ordered Architectures in Thin Films for Organic Solar Cells

Multifunctional hybrid Polyoxometalates for silicone gels with improved thermal and mechanical properties

3D-ORDERED NANOSCALE HETEROJUNCTIONS IN MOLECULAR THIN FILMS FOR ORGANIC PHOTOVOLTAICS

Donor–Acceptor Interfaces by Engineered Nanoparticles Assemblies for Enhanced Efficiency in Plastic Planar Heterojunction Solar Cells

Precisely positioning functionalized gold nanoparticles assemblies at planar donor-acceptor interfaces results in 14-fold enhancement of power conversion efficiency in P3HT/PCBM organic solar cells on plastic (ITO/PET) substrates. This result has been achieved by employing naphthalenethiol-capped gold nanoparticles (NT-Au-NPs) produced by laser ablation in liquid and size varied in the 10-30 nm range. Upon surface functionalization with the aromatic thiol, these particles self-assemble in submicrometer aggregates, which give increased light scattering. When these aggregates are deposited in the planar heterojunction between the donor and the acceptor systems, the localized scattering leads …

ELECTROSPRAY AS A NOVEL ELECTROCHEMICAL WAY FOR THE SYNTHESIS OF NANOSTRUCTURED MATERIALS

Carbon nanotubes and organic solar cells

The use of carbon nanotubes in photovoltaics is still challenging due to different issues connected to their synthesis, purification, functionalization, processing and device integration. From this perspective at first we review on selected contributions dealing with the above issues; then we focus on the advantages and limitations of carbon nanotubes for the development of organic solar cells.

ORGANOTIN(IV)-PORPHINATE FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC BULK HETEROJUNCTIONS

Due to the versatility and variability of their molecular structures, optical spectra, electrical properties, and supramolecular organization potential, porphyrins related compounds have been widely studied in organic solar cells [1,2]. Indeed, these applications are a natural function for these compounds, and they have been extensively investigated in a variety of formats including single molecules, macromolecular and supramolecular structures. In this work, poly(hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and organotin(IV)-[meso-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl) porphinate] have been employed for engineering planar and bulk heterojunctions by layer by layer deposition. Improving the overall efficiencies of photovoltaic …

Designing trehalose-conjugated peptide inhibitors for the oligomerization and toxicity of Alzheimer’s Aβ 11th Naples

Thiophene pyrenyl derivatives for the supramolecular processability of single-walled carbon nanotubes in thin film heterojunction

Abstract A major problem for the use of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in electronic devices relates to their poor processability. Chemical modification inevitably introduces defects in the nanotube lattice, resulting in a loss of electronic properties. In this contest, we report on a supramolecular approach with the aim of increasing the dispersion of SWCNTs in solution and in organic semiconductor matrices by ensuring the optoelectronic properties. In particular, new pyrenyl derivatives of thiophene have been synthesized and used to improve the solubility of SWCNTs for electron transfer in thin film heterojunction with poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as donor system. Photoinduced ele…

Symmetric naphthalenediimidequaterthiophenes for electropolymerized electrochromic thin films

A new symmetric naphthalenediimidequaterthiophene (s-NDI2ODT4) was synthesized and exhibited the capability to electropolymerize alone or with EDOT affording polymers with controlled donor/acceptor monomer ratios. s-NDI2ODT4-EDOT-based copolymers showed low band gaps, wide optical absorption ranges extending to the near IR region, tuned electrical properties, thin-film surface morphology and hydrophilicity as well as high coloration efficiency in electrochromic devices.

3D ORGANIZATION OF THIN FILMS FOR THREE COMPONENTS ACTIVE LAYER IN PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICES

Polymer-fullerene or polymer-polymer based bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells can be fabricated by using low-cost manufacturing methods. However, because of the low mobility of organic materials, there is a competition between separation and recombination of the photogenerated carriers within the thin BHJ film. Thus, there is a need to develop strategies to increase light harvesting in the films without increasing the film thickness. Nanoparticles (NPs) have been receiving a lot of interest for exhibiting interesting optical, electrical, and magnetic properties. These novel properties can be exploited in nanotechnology by forming compact and ordered architectures of nanoparticles within …

Mesoscopic self-organisation of magnetic Cobalt-based nanofibers and nanoclusters in surfactant matrix

CONTROLLING THE FUNCTIONALIZATION OF CARBON NANOTUBES AND GRAPHENE NANOPLATELETS

The functionalization of carbon nanostructures by diazonium chemistry is a versatile strategy to obtain soluble nanomaterials with degrees of functionalization among the highest ever reported.[1,2] Starting from these premises we have studied the functionalization of single, double and multi-walled carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplatelets by addition of aryl diazonium salts generated in situ by treatment of 4-substituted anilines with isopentylnitrite. Taking advantage of highly controlled flow synthesis [3-5] and following a thorough purification and characterization protocol (UV-vis, TGA, ATR-IR, AFM and other surface tools), we have investigated the key parameters to obtain both funct…

Nano-structured molecular thin films for bio-sensing and plastic-electronics with improved efficiency/cost ratio

Carbon nanotube derivatives for electro-optical active bulk heterojunctions

PENTACENE THIN FILMS BY SOLUTION METHODS: NEW ROUTES FOR PLASTIC ELECTRONICS

SENSING OF AMYLOID AGGREGATION USING A NOVEL BIS-THIOPHENE FLUORESCENT DYE

Enhanced power-conversion efficiency in organic solar cells incorporating copolymeric phase-separation modulators

A new class of copolymers containing oligothiophene moieties with different lengths and fullerene units have been designed and prepared by an easy and inexpensive one-step synthetic approach. The incorporation of small quantities of these copolymers into bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells with donor regioregular polythiophene (P3HT) and an acceptor fullerene derivate (PCBM) results in good control of the phase separation process without further affecting the BHJ optoelectronic properties. Indeed, under thermal annealing these copolymers allow the modulation of the growth of domains whose size depends on the length of the copolymer repetitive units. Domain size on the same length scale as…

Pseudo-Planar Organic Heterojunctions by Sequential Printing of Quasi-Miscible Inks

This work deals with the interfacial mixing mechanism of picoliter (pL)-scale droplets produced by sequential inkjet printing of organic-based inks onto ITO/PET surfaces at a moderately high Weber number (~101). Differently from solution dispensing processes at a high Bond number such as spin coating, the deposition by inkjet printing is strictly controlled by droplet velocity, ink viscosity, and surface tension. In particular, this study considers the interfacial mixing of droplets containing the most investigated donor/acceptor couple for organic solar cells, i.e., poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and (6,6)-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), showing how low-viscosity and low-surfac…

ON THE 3D CONTROL OF THE FUNCTIONAL STRUCTURE OF MOLECULAR THIN FILMS

Apart from being a very challenging issue, three-dimensional order in molecular thin films is of critical importance to gain and exploit a series of key properties in emerging fields like organic/hybrid photovoltaics, organic thin film transistors, sensors and plastic electronics in general. For example, the development of nanostructured bi-continuous bulk heterojunctions (BHJs) is an important advancement leading to improved photovoltaic power conversion efficiency with respect to planar heterojunctions. Here we show an original low cost, easy-to-implement and multi-tasking bottom-up approaches to modulate the supramolecular morphology in three-dimensional (3D) systems together with their …

ORGANOBORON POLYMERS FOR HIGH-EFFICIENCY FLEXIBLE SOLAR CELLS

Self-Organization Pathways and Spatial Heterogeneity in Insulin Amyloid Fibril Formation

At high temperature and low pH, the protein hormone insulin is highly prone to form amyloid fibrils, and for this reason it is widely used as a model system to study fibril formation mechanisms. In this work, we focused on insulin aggregation mechanisms occurring in HCl solutions (pH 1.6) at 60 degrees C. By means of in situ Thioflavin T (ThT) staining, the kinetics profiles were characterized as a function of the protein concentration, and two concurrent aggregation pathways were pointed out, being concentration dependent. In correspondence to these pathways, different morphologies of self-assembled protein molecules were detected by atomic force microscopy images also evidencing the prese…

Organoboron Polymers for Photovoltaic Bulk Heterojunctions

We report on the application of three-coordinate organoboron polymers, inherently strong electron acceptors, in flexible photovoltaic (PV) cells. Poly[(1,4-divinylenephenylene)(2,4,6-triisopropylphenylborane)] (PDB) has been blended with poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) to form a thin film bulk heterojunction (BHJ) on PET/ITO substrates. Morphology may be modulated to give a high percentage of domains (10-20 nm in size) allowing exciton separation. The photoelectric properties of the BHJs in devices with aluminium back electrodes were imaged by light beam induced current (LBIC) and light beam induced voltage (LBIV) techniques. Open circuit voltages, short circuit currents and overall …