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  1. School of Physical and Chemical Sciences
  2. Centre for Condensed Matter Physics
  3. PhD at CCMP
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  5. Exciton dynamics in conventional and organic semiconducting solar cells

Exciton dynamics in conventional and organic semiconducting solar cells

Research Group: Centre for Compressed Matter Physics
Number of Students: 1
Length of Study in Years: 4 Years
Full-time Project: yes

Funding

This project has been supported by the Faculty for Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) funding. If you wish to be considered for another funding route, please contact the supervisor [a.j.drew@qmul.ac.uk].

Project Description

This project aims to measure the (slow) dynamics of excitons in organic semiconductors and the interfacial recombination in Si and other conventional semiconductors. The primary technique will be laser pump  / muon spin resonance probe spectroscopy (photomusr), backed up with optical spectroscopy  and DFT calculations of the excited state and molecular structure. For organic semiconductors, It will use atom specific probes of exciton wavefunction, as a function of time, which allows the evolution of the exciton to be sampled within the molecule over time [1]. This  work will be extended to studying donor-acceptor state dynamics in organic photovoltaic cells. For conventional, the technique varies slightly as it is band semiconductor and thus accurate spatial information is resolvable, but it is still possible to measure the difference between surface and bulk recombination [2,3]. Molecules will be commercial or made via collaboration with Cambridge. Si will be commercial, in collaboration with Warwick. The aim is to understand the underlying dynamics at play when capturing energy from light, in particular, what the structure function relationships are in order to increase efficiency of light capture.

Supervisor Contact Details:

For informal enquiries about this position, please contact Alan Drew

E-mail: A.J.Drew@qmul.ac.uk

Deadline - 31st of January 2023

Application Method:

To apply for this studentship please select September entry and please follow the instructions detailed on the following webpage:

https://www.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/subjects/physics.html

[1] “Temporal mapping of photochemical reactions and molecular excited states with carbon specificity” K Wang et al., Nature Materials 16, 467 (2017)

[2] “Decoupling bulk and surface recombination properties in silicon by depth-dependent carrier lifetime measurements” K Yokoyama et al., Applied Physics Letters 118, 252105 (2021)

Requirements

  • CSC, self-funded, external scholarship, CONACyT
  • Applicant required to start in September/October 2023.
  • The minimum requirement for this studentship opportunity is a good Honours degree (minimum 2(i) honours or equivalent) or MSc/MRes in a relevant discipline.
  • If English is not your first language you will require a valid English certificate equivalent to IELTS 6.5+ overall with a minimum score of 6.0 in Writing and 5.5 in all sections (Reading, Listening, Speaking).

SPCS Academics: Prof. Alan Drew

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