Tetracene, also called naphthacene, is a
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. It has the appearance of a pale orange powder. Tetracene is the four-ringed member of the series of
acenes.
Tetracene is a molecular
organic semiconductor, used in
organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and
organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). In May 2007, researchers from two Japanese universities,
Tohoku University in
Sendai
is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...
and
Osaka University
, abbreviated as , is a public research university located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It is one of Japan's former Imperial Universities and a Designated National University listed as a "Top Type" university in the Top Global University Project. ...
, reported an ambipolar light-emitting transistor made of a single tetracene crystal. Ambipolar means that the
electric charge is transported by both positively charged
holes and negatively charged
electrons. Tetracene can be also used as a
gain medium in
dye lasers
A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution and ...
as a
sensitiser in
chemoluminescence.
Jan Hendrik Schön during his time at
Bell Labs (1997–2002) claimed to have developed an electrically pumped laser based on tetracene. However, his results could not be reproduced, and this is considered to be a
scientific fraud.
Napthacene is the main backbone component of the
tetracycline class of antibiotics.
See also
*
Tetraphene, also known as benz
'a''nthracene
*
Doxycycline
Doxycycline is a broad-spectrum tetracycline class antibiotic used in the treatment of infections caused by bacteria and certain parasites. It is used to treat bacterial pneumonia, acne, chlamydia infections, Lyme disease, cholera, typhus, an ...
Notes
*Daniel Oberhaus
New Designs Could Boost Solar Cells Beyond Their Limits Wired, July 11th 2019
References
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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Organic semiconductors
Laser gain media
Tetracyclic compounds
Acenes