Ultrafast Action Spectroscopy of Hybrid States for Soft Optoelectronic Materials Engineering
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: Chemistry
Abstract
A central challenge in the development of modern optoelectronic materials is the ability to characterise and control their electronic and structural dynamics with high time resolution and spatial selectivity. This is increasingly important for solution processable 'soft' nanomaterials where the electronic and structural dynamics are highly entangled and time dependent. This entanglement leads to the hybridisation of different electronic and vibrational levels and the emergence of new states that ultimately determine the materials' optoelectronic properties and play the key role in a range of processes from charge photogeneration and exciton fission to the localisation and multiplication of electronic states. A technology capable of characterising hybrid states operando would be indispensable for material engineering and device development.
In the last 8 years, my team has exposed the role of hybridisation between electronic and vibrational states in a range of soft electronic nanomaterials. We have also developed a new set of methods for the ultrafast spectroscopy of nanodevices at working conditions. This brings us in a unique position to combine this expertise with recent developments in coherent multidimensional spectroscopies and versatile nanoprobe platforms, to develop a novel toolkit for time-resolved operando mapping of charge dynamics in optoelectronic materials, including the evolution hybrid states and their molecular origins. This will open new possibilities in engineering material properties by the targeted adjustments of the densities of electronic and vibrational states, interstate couplings and structural dynamics. These findings will bring a new mechanistic understanding of electronic processes in soft molecular materials and can have direct consequences for the practical applications, including the development of photovoltaics with high open-circuit voltage, emissive printable materials, or efficient and robust solar fuel devices.
In the last 8 years, my team has exposed the role of hybridisation between electronic and vibrational states in a range of soft electronic nanomaterials. We have also developed a new set of methods for the ultrafast spectroscopy of nanodevices at working conditions. This brings us in a unique position to combine this expertise with recent developments in coherent multidimensional spectroscopies and versatile nanoprobe platforms, to develop a novel toolkit for time-resolved operando mapping of charge dynamics in optoelectronic materials, including the evolution hybrid states and their molecular origins. This will open new possibilities in engineering material properties by the targeted adjustments of the densities of electronic and vibrational states, interstate couplings and structural dynamics. These findings will bring a new mechanistic understanding of electronic processes in soft molecular materials and can have direct consequences for the practical applications, including the development of photovoltaics with high open-circuit voltage, emissive printable materials, or efficient and robust solar fuel devices.
Organisations
Publications
Pan J
(2023)
Operando dynamics of trapped carriers in perovskite solar cells observed via infrared optical activation spectroscopy
in Nature Communications
Scalon L
(2024)
Understanding and Controlling the Photoluminescence Line Shapes of 2D Perovskites with Chiral Methylbenzylammonium-Based Cations
in Chemistry of Materials
Wang T
(2024)
Ultrafast Carrier and Lattice Cooling in Ti2CTx MXene Thin Films.
in Nano letters
| Description | This award focuses on developing new optical tools to observe processes in processible electronic devices in real time while they are in operation. Our primary goal is to identify loss channels that reduce device efficiency, with the ambition of providing optimization feedback and design guidelines for future improvements. So far, we have identified several methods to detect the impact of electronic defect states on device performance, as well as the influence of structural dynamics-particularly molecular-scale vibrations. We are now advancing these methods to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how molecular-scale dynamics affect the performance of electronic devices. |
| Exploitation Route | We hope that in the future, our methodology will be adopted by semiconductor manufacturers for quality control of solar cells and light-emitting devices. Additionally, our techniques have the potential to be used in fundamental research to uncover new aspects of material photochemistry. |
| Sectors | Chemicals Electronics Energy |
| Description | A processible electronics stand at the Exhibition Road Festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Between 50 and 100 members of the general public visited our stand at the Exhibition Road Festival to learn about processible electronics and observe experimental demonstrations of processible devices |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | School visit - William Perkin High School |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | I visited William Perkin High School during the Founder's Day with a theme of "Chemical Attractions". I gave 3 talks for different year cohorts (~80 students in total) which included interactive quizzes and demonstration of processible electronic devices that we develop. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |