Research

Inorganic materials have excellent electronic properties in thin films.  The development of materials with low processing temperatures with high electronic performance will enable new types of printable electronic devices. Our group has investigated the fundamental transport properties of thin film oxides and is working on understanding growth mechanisms and properties of new systems such as organic metal halides. These materials have uses in circuits and energy conversion, e.g. solar cells.

Organic semiconductors are electronically conjugated molecules or polymers. The electronic coupling in organic materials is in solids complex and depends critically on their intermolecular arrangement. Our group has made significant progress in  understanding the molecular packing structure of semiconducting polymers and the  morphology of organic materials in thin films.  These materials are particularly interesting for energy conversion.

To study soft and hard materials in functional assemblies, we use a combination of physical methods — advanced synchrotron x-ray scattering techniques, dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry, photoelectron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopies — and electrical methods — such as current-voltage measurements of devices, impedance spectroscopy, and thermopower. These techniques are complemented by computational methods to study the electronic structure in materials.