Energy efficiency in buildings requires adequate materials for thermal insulation. Given the enormous number of buildings worldwide needing a retrofit to improve their energy efficiency, it is of capital importance to identify materials suitable for sustainable thermal insulation. Among the many available insulators, polyurethanes occupy a preeminent role, given their versatility and effectiveness, and are thus expected to be extensively used in retrofitting buildings for improving their energy efficiency. Herein, the currently available bio‐derived or recyclable polyurethane‐based composites, considering them as either foams (i.e., with gaseous filler) or fully solid (i.e., with solid filler) composites, are assessed. The first section of the review is devoted to bioderived PUs as matrices for thermally insulating composites; the second section focuses on bio‐derived/recyclable fillers adopted with PUs as matrices, with specific reference to silica‐based aerogels. The main issues of the surveyed bio‐based composites are analyzed, and the future prospects of these materials, that are actually sustainable but at the same time performance effective, are discussed.

The recently explored synergistic combination of graphene-based materials and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) is opening novel and effective avenues for developing sensing devices with optimized features. In more detail, remarkable potential in terms of simplicity, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness have been demonstrated for sensors, resulting in the creation of hybrid devices with enhanced signal-to-noise ratio, linearity, and selectivity. Therefore, this review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the currently available scientific literature discussing investigations and applications of sensors that integrate graphene-based materials and deep eutectic solvents, with an outlook for the most promising developments of this approach.

The recently explored synergistic combination of graphene-based materials and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) is opening novel and effective avenues for developing sensing devices with optimized features. In more detail, remarkable potential in terms of simplicity, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness of this combination have been demonstrated for sensors, resulting in the creation of hybrid devices with enhanced signal-to-noise ratios, linearities, and selectivity. Therefore, this review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the currently available scientific literature discussing investigations and applications of sensors that integrate graphene-based materials and deep eutectic solvents, with an outlook for the most promising developments of this approach.

The development of aligned nanofibers as useful scaffolds for tissue engineering is an actively sought-for research objective. Here, we propose a novel improvement of an existing self-assembly-based nanofabrication technique (ASB-SANS). This improvement, which we termed Directional ASB-SANS, allows one to produce cm2-large domains of highly aligned poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanofibers in a rapid, inexpensive, and easy way. The so-grown aligned PLGA nanofibers exhibited remarkable adhesion to different substrates (glass, polyimide, and Si/SiOx), even when immersed in PBS solution and kept at physiological temperature (37 °C) for up to two weeks. Finally, the Directional ASB-SANS technique allowed us to grow PLGA fibers also on highly heterogeneous substrates such as polyimide-based, gold-coated flexible electrodes. These results suggest the viability of Directional ASB-SANS method for realizing biocompatible/bioresorbable, nanostructured coatings, potentially suitable for neural interface systems.

The newest cruise ships can guest a constantly increasing number of passengers and concentrate their environmental impact on the limited areas interested by their path. The generated solid waste contributes significantly to this impact; therefore, we propose an innovative solution for recovering embedded energy from that garbage. In more detail, we study the feasibility of an absorption plant able to exploit the residual energy of the flue gas of the ship’s incinerator. No payload space shall be sacrificed to install the considered absorption plant. Furthermore, it can be integrated with the existing plants providing for a limited number of heat exchangers. The recovered energy can be used to control the temperature of the refrigerated storerooms; operating simultaneously with, or in place of the existing compression vapors system already installed; it allows a reduction of the CO2 emissions and of fuel consumption. We show that the proposed approach can be applied to a variety of cruise ships, independently of their tonnage or passenger capacity.

Hydrothermal growth of ZnO nanorods has been widely used for the development of tactile sensors, with the aid of ZnO seed layers, favoring the growth of dense and vertically aligned nanorods. However, seed layers represent an additional fabrication step in the sensor design. In this study, a seedless hydrothermal growth of ZnO nanorods was carried out on Au-coated Si and polyimide substrates. The effects of both the Au morphology and the growth temperature on the characteristics of the nanorods were investigated, finding that smaller Au grains produced tilted rods, while larger grains provided vertical rods. Highly dense and high-aspect-ratio nanorods with hexagonal prismatic shape were obtained at 75 °C and 85 °C, while pyramid-like rods were grown when the temperature was set to 95 °C. Finite-element simulations demonstrated that prismatic rods produce higher voltage responses than the pyramid-shaped ones. A tactile sensor, with an active area of 1 cm2, was fabricated on flexible polyimide substrate and embedding the nanorods forest in a polydimethylsiloxane matrix as a separation layer between the bottom and the top Au electrodes. The prototype showed clear responses upon applied loads of 2–4 N and vibrations over frequencies in the range of 20–800 Hz.

Here we applied a novel concept of "sublimation-aided nanostructuring" to control the polymorphism of a model material. The process exploits fractional precipitation as a tool for crystallisation in confinement using a templating agent that sublimes away from the system at the end of the process.

Here we report over possible optimizations onboard cruise ships in the management of glass, paper and cellulosic waste, ranging from simple rationalization of the materials' use (for glass and paper) to the recovery of some of the energy embedded in paper and other cellulosic waste. This latter option is investigated considering two possibilities: i) the recovery of thermal energy from incinerator's flue gas by means of an absorption plant, ii) the production of syngas to be directly fed to the ship engines. For each option, we calculated the achievable benefits in terms of reduced fuel consumption, avoided CO2 emissions and cost savings (evaluated on the basis of the avoided fuel consumption). Finally, on the basis of the previously calculated benefits, we defined three different scenarios, each including the rationalization of glass and paper waste management, topped by different combinations of thermal energy recovery/syngas production. We then evaluated these scenarios in terms of environmental and economic benefits. This analysis showed that even trivial approaches, as a simple rationalization of paper consumption, can allow consistent advantages over existing waste management policies; moreover, syngas generators for treating cellulosic waste emerged as very effective tools for lowering the environmental impact of modern cruise ships. Joining these two strategies allows notable savings in terms of fuel, CO2 emissions and ship operational costs, and could represent a path for sizably reducing the environmental footprint of cruise ships.

Herein, we propose an easy and practical method for the fabrication of highly ordered supramolecular structures. The proposed approach combines fractional precipitation and wet lithography, to obtain a spatially-defined pattern of submicrometric structures with a high molecular order of poly(3-hexylthiophene). The process is demonstrated by XRD, confocal and time-resolved spectroscopy and by the performance of an effective field effect transistor.

use of a cogeneration plant to produce electric energy (self-consumption and sale of the surplus to the power supply network operator) and thermal energy (digester and post-digester heating, and feeding of a cereal dryer);

ZnO nanorods (NRs) are nanomaterials with a wide range of applications (photocatalysis, optoelectronics, catalysis, etc). One peculiar property of ZnO NRs is their piezoelectricity, which opens up a wealth of possibilities in the field of pressure sensors. In fact, thanks also to the recent availability of low cost hydrothermal growth, it is already possible to fabricate flexible, large area, self-powered, distributed pressure sensors, with a high potential for use in robotics and prosthetics as "electronic skins". This review focuses hence on ZnO NRs grown by the hydrothermal method, with an eye on the relationship between the reaction parameters and the resulting NRs morphology, and on their specific application in pressure sensing in terms of device design and performance.

The growing need for efficient energy use prompts for effective thermally insulating materials. Nano‐composites represent an important class of materials able to fulfill these needs, enabling both sizeable energy savings and specific applications where thermal insulation has to be coupled to mechanical robustness and lightness, like in automotive and aerospace applications. In view of these developments, this review summarizes the topic of polymer‐based nano‐composites for thermal insulation. The theme is introduced overviewing the features of the matrix‐filler interfaces and of the available models of thermal conductivity, with a mention of the most used types of polymeric matrices. The main three different types of polymer‐based nano‐composites for thermal insulation, that is, polymeric nano‐foams, syntactic foams and all‐solid nano‐composites, are then reviewed. For each class of material, the thermal insulation performance of selected examples is highlighted, with explicit reference to the material's structure and constitutional peculiarities (like type or size of the filler, specific filler surface functionalizations, etc). A resuming table reporting the thermal insulation performance of selected composites is also included in the review. Finally, an outlook on the possible developments in the field is given.

The dynamic response of gas sensors based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) nanofibers(NFs) to gaseous acetone was assessed using a setup based on flow-injection analysis, aimed atemulating actual breath exhalation. The setup was validated by using a commercially available sensor.The P3HT NFs sensors tested in dynamic flow conditions showed satisfactory reproducibility down toabout 3.5 ppm acetone concentration, a linear response over a clinically relevant concentration range(3.5-35 ppm), excellent baseline recovery and reversibility upon repeated exposures to the analyte,short pulse rise and fall times (less than 1 s and about 2 s, respectively) and low power consumption(few nW), with no relevant response to water. Comparable responses' decay times under eithernitrogen or dry air suggest that the mechanisms at work is mainly attributable to specific analytesemiconductingpolymer interactions. These results open the way to the use of P3HT NFs-basedsensing elements for the realization of portable, real-time electronic noses for on-the-fly exhaledbreath analysis.

An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.

Organic semiconducting single crystals (OSSCs) are very promising for low‐cost electronics, being the highest performers among organic semiconductors in terms of charge transport, with carrier mobilities exceeding 10 cm 2 V s −1 . Here, it is demonstrated how it is possible to obtain millimeter‐long single crystals of 6,13‐bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene (TIPS‐pentacene) onto gold interdigitated electrodes patterned onto flexible plastic substrates, via direct inkjet printing of precursor solutions. This result is enabled by a novel chemical confinement strategy that exploits fluorinated thiols as solvophobic “chemical fences”, able to avoid the printed solution spreading, thus promoting the formation of single crystals even on highly heterogeneous surfaces, without changing the chemical nature of the surface underlying the grown crystals. Electrical measurements demonstrate a good electrical contact with the electrodes. Moreover, their response UV‐vis (Ultraviolet‐visible) is among the highest up to now reported for organic UV–vis photodetectors, and their performance as direct X‐ray detectors is satisfactory, confirming that the printed crystals have an effective electrical contact with the underlying electrodes. Since both the solvophobic fence and the TIPS crystals precursor solution are inkjet printed on flexible substrates, this work opens novel perspectives for the practical use of OSSCs in low cost, yet performing, flexible electronics.

Self-assembly methods allow to obtain ordered patterns on surfaces with exquisite precision, but often lack in effectiveness over large areas. Here we report on the realization of hierarchically ordered polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) nanofibres and nanodots over large areas from solution via a fast, easy and low-cost method named ASB-SANS, based on a ternary solution that is cast on the substrate. Simple changes to the ternary solution composition allow to control the transition from nanofibres to nanodots, via a wide range of intermediate topologies. The ternary solution includes the material to be patterned, a liquid solvent and a solid substance able to sublimate. The analysis of the fibres/dots width and inter-pattern distance variations with respect to the ratio between the solution components suggests that the macromolecular chains mobility in the solidified sublimating substance follows Zimm-like models (mobility of macromolecules in diluted liquid solutions). A qualitative explanation of the self-assembly phenomena originating the observed nanopatterns is given. Finally, ASB-SANS-generated PMMA nanodots arrays have been used as lithographic masks for a silicon substrate and submitted to Inductively Coupled Plasma-Reactive Ion Etching (ICP-RIE). As a result, nanopillars with remarkably high aspect ratios have been achieved over areas as large as several millimeters square, highlighting an interesting potential of ASB-SANS in practical applications like photon trapping in photovoltaic cells, surface-enhanced sensors, plasmonics.

The anisotropic thermal expansion properties of an organic semiconducting single crystal constituted by 4-hydroxycyanobenzene (4HCB) have been probed by XRD in the range 120-300 K. The anisotropic thermal expansion coefficients for the three crystallographic axes and for the crystal volume have been determined. A careful analysis of the crystal structure revealed that the two different H-bonds stemming from the two independent, differently oriented 4HCB molecules composing the unit cell have different rearrangement patterns upon temperature variations, in terms of both bond length and bond angle. Linearly Polarized Mid InfraRed (LP-MIR) measurements carried out in the same temperature range, focused on the O-H bond spectral region, confirm this finding. The same LP-MIR measurements, on the basis of a semi-empirical relation and of geometrical considerations and assumptions, allowed calculation of the -CNH-O- hydrogen bond length along the a and b axes of the crystal. In turn, the so-calculated -CNH-O- bond lengths were used to derive the thermal expansion coefficients along the corresponding crystal axes, as well as the volumetric one, using just the LP-MIR data. Reasonable to good agreement with the same values obtained from XRD measurements was obtained. This proof-of-principle opens interesting perspectives about the possible development of a rapid, low cost and industry-friendly assessment of the thermal expansion properties of organic semiconducting single crystals (OSSCs) involving hydrogen bonds.

Organic single crystals (OSCs) have only recently been considered for applications as ionizing radiation detectors, both as scintillators and as solid state direct detectors. On page 2276, B. Fraboni and co-workers review the latest developments in this field, discussing the specificall relevant properties of OSCs as well as the most effective and convenient methods for their growth.

Advanced Functional MaterialsVolume 26, Issue 14 p. 2229-2232 EditorialFree Access Organic Single Crystals: An Essential Step to New Physics and Higher Performances of Optoelectronic Devices Beatrice Fraboni, Beatrice Fraboni Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Bologna, viale Berti Pichat 6/2, Bologna, 40127 ItalySearch for more papers by this authorAlessandro Fraleoni-Morgera, Alessandro Fraleoni-Morgera Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste, Via Alfonso Valerio 10, Trieste, 34127 ItalySearch for more papers by this authorYves Geerts, Yves Geerts Chimie des Polymères CP 206/01 Université Libre de Bruxelles, Campus de la Plaine, 1050 Brussels, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorAlberto Morpurgo, Alberto Morpurgo Department of Condensed Matter Physics, University of Geneve, 24 quai Ernest-Ansermet, CH, -1205 Geneva, SwitzerlandSearch for more papers by this authorVitaly Podzorov, Vitaly Podzorov Department of Physics, Rutgers University, 136 Frelinghuyisen Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854 USASearch for more papers by this author Beatrice Fraboni, Beatrice Fraboni Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Bologna, viale Berti Pichat 6/2, Bologna, 40127 ItalySearch for more papers by this authorAlessandro Fraleoni-Morgera, Alessandro Fraleoni-Morgera Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste, Via Alfonso Valerio 10, Trieste, 34127 ItalySearch for more papers by this authorYves Geerts, Yves Geerts Chimie des Polymères CP 206/01 Université Libre de Bruxelles, Campus de la Plaine, 1050 Brussels, BelgiumSearch for more papers by this authorAlberto Morpurgo, Alberto Morpurgo Department of Condensed Matter Physics, University of Geneve, 24 quai Ernest-Ansermet, CH, -1205 Geneva, SwitzerlandSearch for more papers by this authorVitaly Podzorov, Vitaly Podzorov Department of Physics, Rutgers University, 136 Frelinghuyisen Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854 USASearch for more papers by this author First published: 13 April 2016 https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201504924Citations: 23AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Organic Electronics is one of the most active areas of interdisciplinary research, targeting implementation of organic semiconductors in electronic applications ranging from low-cost, light-weight, flexible and wearable electronics, to light-emitting diodes, sensors, and solar cells.1 In order to provide a stronger fundamental support to this thriving applications-driven field, a deeper understanding of the basic principles governing the operation of organic materials and devices is necessary. Such understanding would help to design better semiconductors, improve device performance, and invent novel device concepts and prototypes. However, this task is very challenging because of the complexity and enormous variety of organic-molecule semiconductors, as well as the multitude of factors and microscopic phenomena that define their electronic properties. For instance, one of the important fundamental challenges in organic electronics is gaining a deeper understanding of charge carrier transport in organic semiconductors, including the structure–property relationship. Charge conduction in these materials frequently occurs in a regime at the border between band-like coherent motion of delocalized carriers in extended states, and an incoherent hopping through localized states. Many intrinsic factors are competing to define the dominant transport mechanism, including the strength of intermolecular interactions governed by the molecular structure and crystal packing (the transfer integrals); carrier self-localization due to formation of polarons; electron–phonon coupling; scattering; and off-diagonal thermal disorder (see, e.g.,2-4). Depending on the interplay between these processes, one obtains a system with band-like or hopping charge transport. Besides these intrinsic factors, a significant role in practical devices is played by the static disorder (chemical impurities and structural defects) that leads to trap states capable of carrier immobilization at various time scales. An important aspect of organic semiconductors is that π–π interactions favoring a band transport are rather weak, thus resulting in narrow bands (a few hundred meV)5 and intrinsically low carrier mobilities, μ ≈ 0.1–20 cm2 V−1 s−1 (see, e.g.,6), small in comparison with inorganic semiconductors, where μ can reach a few thousand cm2 V−1 s−1.7 It is relatively easy for extrinsic disorder (defects and impurities) to destroy the narrow bands in organic semiconductors and completely dominate the charge transport. Therefore, an important practical and fundamental task is to get rid of static disorder and experimentally access the intrinsic transport regime. This can be achieved in devices built upon molecular crystals, where many types of disorder (for instance, grain boundaries) are completely eliminated or minimized (see, e.g.,7), For this reason, single crystals have been key players in the development of (both inorganic and organic) semiconductor science and technology. The interest in organic single crystals has been further boosted by the development of both solution-growth processes and molecular structures specifically tailored for achieving enhanced solubilities. The synergy between these features allows for the growth of single crystals (usually of very small size, i.e., a few hundred microns, yet effective in terms of electronic performances), of both p- or n-type, in some cases even directly on patterned electrodes.8-15 Among the various organic electronic devices that can be realized based on single crystals, the organic field effect transistor (OFET) occupies a predominant role. Thanks to the continuing development of single-crystalline OFETs, we now have a variety of approaches resulting in high-performance devices, ranging from free-standing single-crystal transistors with contacts/dielectric/gate structure deposited at their surfaces, to thin-film crystalline layers laminated or grown on top of an insulating substrate with a bottom gate.16-23 Different methods have individual advantages and drawbacks, but together they represent a powerful complementary toolbox for the fabrication and studies of single-crystal OFETs based on various organic semiconductors and dielectric materials. Characterization methods have also seen a rather unprecedented development that, along with conventional FET measurements, now include Hall effect studies,24-27 photoconductivity analyses,28-32 as well as electron-spin resonance in gated single-crystal transistors.33, 34 Such unprecedented progress in materials and device development has led to a number of foundational results obtained with organic single-crystals—spanning from fundamental properties to novel applications—during the last dozen of years; these are briefly mentioned below with some representative references. These achievements include, but are not limited to, (a) obtaining record high mobilities in organic semiconductors by using single-crystal OFETs based on discrete vapor grown crystals or solution grown crystalline films (with μ in the range 1–20 cm2 V−1 s−1) for both holes7, 18, 21, 35 and electrons;27, 36 (b) reproducible observation of a band-like transport and intrinsic mobility anisotropy in a number of systems,24-27, 35-38 signifying that charge delocalization in van der Waals crystals is indeed possible, and the transport regime not dominated by static disorder can be achieved; (c) the discovery of new types of conducting and even metallic interfaces;39-41 (d) observation of a long-range (1–10 μm) diffusion of mobile triplet excitons in high-quality organic crystals, as well as non-linear regimes in photoconductivity with non-trivial set of power exponents (1, 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4) due to singlet fission, triplet fusion and interaction of mobile excitons with charge carriers;28-31 (e) realization of ionic-liquid gated single-crystal devices;42, 43 (f) realization of solid-state ionizing radiation sensors based on solution-grown organic crystals;44-48 (g) development of flexible single-crystal devices suitable for the studies of electro-mechanical properties of organic semiconductors;22, 49, 50 (h) realization of extremely high current density in organic light-emitting transistors;51 (i) study of electrical magnetochiral anisotropy in a bulk chiral molecular conductor;52 (j) elucidation of the role of dimensionality on charge transport;53 and (k) physical limitation of charge carrier mobility values in molecular semiconductors.54 The fundamental aspects of charge transport in crystalline organic semiconductors are reviewed in the Feature Article by Fratini et al., in which the way charge transport is intrinsically limited by the presence of large thermal mole­cular motions—a direct consequence of the weak van der Waals inter-molecular interactions—is discussed. Thermal motions in molecular crystals cause substantial fluctuation of the excitonic coupling between neighboring molecules, and Aragó et al. discuss their effects on the exciton dynamics. The extent of charge carrier wavefunction localization induced by dynamic disorder can be probed spectroscopically in small molecule semiconductors, and thus provide a new insight into the nature of shallow charge traps in these materials, as discussed by Meneau et al. The large conductivity often observed at the interface of two different organic semiconductors, originating from transfer of charge between the constituent materials, has been investigated in detail by Krupskaya et al. through a systematic study of single crystal interfaces. A study of the charge-transport properties of pure anthradithiophene isomers suggests that the benefit of isomer purity is not consistent, as discussed by Hallani et al.; while the study of stimulated emission properties in two polymorphs of a dicyanodistyrylbenzene derivative by Varghese et al. emphasizes the significance of intermolecular interactions in controlling the optical properties, as well as light amplification processes, of organic conjugated materials. The impact of polymorphism on the crystal's physical properties is discussed in the Feature Article by Jones et al., together with its effects on organic electronic devices. The role of polymorph transformation in core-chlorinated naphthalene diimides and its impact on the organic transistor performance is investigated by Purdum et al. As field effect transistors are overall the more appealing building blocks in electronics, the Feature Article by Pfattner et al. reviews how organic FETs can be tailor-designed to perform fundamental studies while offering a wide spectrum of potential applications. The performance of environmentally stable, solution-processed n-type OFETs, comparable to commercial amorphous Si transistors, is reported by Yi et al., while Niazi et al. discuss the role of contact-induced nucleation in the fabrication of organic crystalline FETs in large-area solution processing. Among its multiple advantages, solution processing has allowed exploration of the fabrication of organic single crystal FETs on flexible substrates, as described del Pozo et al. The Feature Article by Fraboni et al. reports on the recent application of organic single crystals grown from solution as ionizing radiation sensors (both scintillators and solid-state), and reviews the latest developments in the field. As fabrication and positioning of micro- and nano crystals grows in importance in a wide range of technological applications, there is an increasing requirement for development of a shared technological platform able to process materials from solutions at a large area, as described by Gentili et al. This Special Issue of Advanced Functional Materials contains a number of original contributions complemented by comprehensive feature articles, dealing with various aspects of organic single-crystalline or highly crystalline thin-film devices, and mostly reflects the invited talks recently presented at the symposium on "Organic Semiconducting Single Crystals: From Fundamentals to Advanced Devices" at the European MRS Spring Meeting 2015. The collection of these papers thus reflects some of the most recent, important and rapidly developing directions within the sector of organic electronics that focuses on fundamental materials science and electronic properties of organic single crystals. Biographies Beatrice Fraboni received an MPhil in micro­electronics from the University of Cambridge, UK, and a PhD in Physics from the University of Bologna, Italy. In 2000 she joined the Faculty of Physics at the University of Bologna where she is presently a professor in condensed matter physics. Her research activity focuses on the characterization of the electrical transport properties of organic and inorganic semiconducting materials and of advanced electronic devices, in particular on the study of radiation effects on solid state radiation detectors. She presently co­ordinates a European Project (www.iflexis.eu) on the development of flexible and printed organic radiation detectors. Alessandro Fraleoni Morgera received his PhD in industrial chemistry, with a focus on semiconducting polymers, from the University of Bologna, Italy, in 2002. Until 2007, he worked at the Department of Industrial Chemistry of the University of Bologna in the field of organic optoelectronics and bioelectronics. In 2008, he moved to Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste, the Italian synchrotron light source located in Trieste, Italy, to work on organic electronics. Since 2013, he is a senior researcher at the Department of Engineering and Architecture at the University of Trieste, where he continues to pursue research in growth and characterization of organic semiconducting single crystals. Yves Henri Geerts was born in Brussels in 1967. He accomplished his diploma studies with Jean-Pierre Sauvage at the Université Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France. In 1993, he obtained his PhD degree from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium. After postdoctoral stays with Klaus Müllen at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPIP) in Mainz, Germany, and Richard Schrock at MIT in Boston, USA, he accepted a FNRS position at ULB, in 1997. He was appointed professor at the same university in 1999. His current research focuses on the synthesis, self-assembly and processing of molecular semiconductors. Alberto Morpurgo is a full professor at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. He received his Laurea degree from the University of Genova (Italy) and his PhD in Physics from the University of Groningen (the Netherlands). Before moving to Geneva, he worked at Delft University and Stanford University. He is an expert in nanoelectronics and on organic semiconductors. The current activity of his research group is mainly focused on the study of 2D materials and their interfaces, and heavily exploits field-effect techniques—including ionic liquid gating—to control the electronic state of these systems. Vitaly Podzorov is an associate professor at Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA. He received his Masters' degree in Physics from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in 1995. 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Citing Literature Volume26, Issue14Special Issue: Organic Single CrystalsApril 12, 2016Pages 2229-2232 ReferencesRelatedInformation

The use of organic materials as radiation detectors has grown, due to the easy processability in liquid phase at room temperature and the possibility to cover large areas by means of low cost deposition techniques. Direct charged-particle detectors based on solution-grown Organic Semiconducting Single Crystals (OSSCs) are shown to be capable to detect charged particles in pulse mode, with very good peak discrimination. The direct charged-particle detection in OSSCs has been assessed both in the planar and in the vertical axes, and a digital pulse processing algorithm has been used to perform pulse height spectroscopy and to study the charge collection efficiency as a function of the applied bias voltage. Taking advantage of the charge spectroscopy and the good peak discrimination of pulse height spectra, an Hecht-like behavior of OSSCs radiation detectors is demonstrated. It has been possible to estimate the mobility-lifetime value in organic materials, a fundamental parameter for the characterization of radiation detectors, whose results are equal to μτcoplanar = (5 .5 ± 0.6 ) × 10−6 cm2/V and μτsandwich = (1 .9 ± 0.2 ) × 10−6 cm2/V, values comparable to those of polycrystalline inorganic detectors. Moreover, alpha particles Time-of-Flight experiments have been carried out to estimate the drift mobility value. The results reported here indicate how charged-particle detectors based on OSSCs possess a great potential as low-cost, large area, solid-state direct detectors operating at room temperature. More interestingly, the good detection efficiency and peak discrimination observed for charged-particle detection in organic materials (hydrogen-rich molecules) are encouraging for their further exploitation in the detection of thermal and high-energy neutrons.