Self-assembled monolayers of redox- and photo-active compounds - A study of the effect of light and potential in charging at interfaces for energy app

Optoelectronic devices rely on the separation and transport of electrical charge for their function, while charge storage devices require the transport and stable maintenance of a specific redox state in a chemical. This project will focus on easily reducible molecular components that can be self-assembled on surfaces and can be used to modulate the movement of charge at these interfaces, leading to a build-up of electrons that can be recovered in a controlled way, as in a battery. The action of light on the devices made using these compounds will be explored in order to use this stimulus as a way of injecting and retrieving charge. The use of supramolecular chemistry to perform mechanical work as a result of charge injection and extraction will also be investigated, with the aim of making electro-mechanical interface based devices