Physical Principles of Organic and Hybrid Photovoltaics

Organic/hybrid optoelectronic devices have drawn the attention of both the academic and industrial research communities due to the potential for a low-cost, large area, solution processible technology alternative to conventional inorganic optoelectronics.

Today's more complex and multi-domain challenges in optoelectronics and energy research require an interdisciplinary approach which combines physics, material science and engineering. To tackle these challenges, we utilize a wide arsenal of scientific techniques, which in combination with device fabrication and measurement enable us to understand the physical principles governing the device operation in direct relation to its function and performance. 

Materials

A variety of organic and inorganic materials is used in fabricating optoelectronic devices. While the active layer of the device often consists of a blend of organic small molecules or conjugated polymers, transport layers and electrodes are often inorganic. We explore a range of new materials for optoelectronic application and investigate their optical, structural and electronic properties.

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Interfaces

The function and performance of organic and hybrid optoelectronic devices is tightly related to their nanostructure and the electronic structure of the surfaces and hetero-interfaces of the device components. Many organic/organic and organic/TiO2 interfaces have been extensively investigated and efficient optoelectronic devices, such as polymer:fullerene and Grätzel solar cells, have been successfully demonstrated. In our academic research, we focus on the study of the vast array of interfaces that are far less investigated. Through our work, we have demonstrated that once the interfacial structure is resolved and the physio-chemical processes are well understood, it is possible to tame even disordered interfaces to be utilized in a broad range of optoelectronic applications.
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Devices

Optoelectronic devices such as photovoltaic or light-emitting diodes allow us to study the physical processes governing device function and performance. We investigate all-organic and hybrid optoelectronic devices in both standard and inverted architectures. In addition, we study the degradation mechanisms that limit the stability of the devices and explore routes to enhance it.

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