The objective of my research will be to understand and control exciton-charge interactions in materials for next-generation energy conversion applications, such as solid-state lighting and excitonic solar cells. I will explore a unique exciton spectral cloaking strategy to effectively prevent charge carriers from resonantly coupling to excitons. This cloaking is important because spectral overlap between excitonic emission and charge carrier absorption can drive exciton annihilation and create highly excited charges, leading to efficiency losses and device instability. I will monitor the difference in exciton dynamics when holes reside on the chromophore of interest versus on the cloaking matrix using charge modulation and photoluminescence spectroscopies. Without the cloaking matrix, I expect the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) to decrease with increasing charge density; whereas successful cloaking will yield a charge density-independent PLQY. The unique understanding of exciton-charge interactions gained by this study will guide materials design future solar and solid-state lighting applications.
Advisor Cody Schlenker -Chemistry