Self-funded projects

Carrier Cooling and Recombination in Mixed Lead-Halide Perovskites

In this project, the student will (i) prepare novel mixed-phase perovskite materials, (ii) characterise their optoelectronic and morphological properties and (iii) implement state-of-the-art femtosecond laser spectroscopies to measure the dynamics of carrier cooling and recombination. This is a highly interdisciplinary project which aims to guide the development of high-performance perovskite solar cells.

Finding the practical efficiency limits of mixed conducting solar cells

This project will involve using drift-diffusion simulations to assess the practical power conversion efficiency limits for this class of device, by accounting for the effect of mobile ions which fundamentally alter the electrostatics of the device. The results and insights gained will help guide the optimal design of these solar cells. The results will be validated with comparison with experimentally measured devices.

Optical Outcoupling in Circularly Polarised OLEDs

This project will investigate light outcoupling and its variation with emission angle and wavelength in the multilayer organic semiconductor stacks which make up the OLED structures. We will establish the influence of outcoupling on the g_lum, allowing OLEDs to find application in state-of-the-art displays. This project involves numerical modelling as well as experimental work, including thin film fabrication and various spectroscopies (Mueller Matrix ellipsometry, photoluminescence, absorption etc).

Understanding product selectivity in electrocatalytic CO2 reduction with CuO-SnO2 catalysts

The goal of this MRes project is to develop a theoretical model to help understand a change in product selectivity and compare it with the experiment. The partial coverage of CuO nanowire (NW) with SnO2 will be modelled by adsorbing a SnO2 cluster on the CuO surface. The thermodynamics and kinetics of CO2 reduction and H2 evolution on both clean and

SnO2 decorated CuO NWs will be studied from first principles and compared. Charge distribution across chemical transformations will be evaluated.

Finally, the student will have the opportunity to develop model CuO cathodes to test hypotheses and improve their model(s) of reaction pathways.

Investigate the Temperature Dependence of Energetic Losses in Organic Solar Cells (understand voltage loss)

In this project, a temperature-dependent external quantum efficiency (EQE) and open-circuit voltage measurement will be studied for a series of state of the are organic solar cell systems with different voltage loss values. The temperature dependence will be also combined with our established charge density-dependent transient optoelectronic characterisation results, aiming to provide more insights into the origin of the V_OC loss in organic solar cells.

Degradation pathways in circularly polarised organic photodetectors

This project will investigate the stability of polymer – chiral small molecule blends, identify potential degradation pathways and potentially new materials.       

Near-infrared Organic Photodiodes

In this project, novel materials will be used as the electron acceptor component for OPV and OPD devices. Combined with a suite of optoelectronic measurements the project will aim to deliver high efficiency OPV devices and OPD with NIR detection as well as obtain structure-property relationships for these exciting materials.

On the Origin of Dark Current in Organic Photodetectors

In this project, different hole and electron transporting layers will be studied in OPD devices. The OPD devices will be characterised with the combination of opto-electronic measurements (current-voltage characteristics, external quantum efficiency measurements, etc.), aiming to discover the origin of dark current in OPDs.

Boosting the efficiency of tin perovskite solar cells via interface engineering

This project focuses on the design, synthesis and characterization of high efficiency stable, tin perovskite solar cells. Particular emphasis will be on layered or low-dimensional structures that have recently shown promising in terms of light harvesting and stability. A key focus of this project will be to improve device short circuit current, open circuit voltage and PCE by the implementation of novel electron and hole extraction layers.

Solar driven purification of water using plastic electronic materials

In this project, you will explore how hybrid organic – inorganic semiconductor nanocomposites can be applied to a novel application in chemical-free water purification strategies. In particular, we use this system to oxidize As(III) to As(V) for subsequent removal of this pollutant from water.

Synthesis of n-Type Polymers for Bioelectronic Applications

In this project we will utilise our recently developed methodology for post-polymerisation functionalisation to incorporate ionophilic sidechains onto electron deficient polymer backbones. The influence of the type and density of the ionophilic groups on the properties of the conjugated polymer and its ability to transport charge will be investigated.  The design of the polymer and ionophilic groups will be supported by DFT calculations.

Non-Fullerene based Organic Solar Cells – Identifying the molecular origin of energetic voltage loss

This project aims to identify the molecular origins of energetic differences at donor-acceptor interfaces to get a complete picture of voltage losses induced by energetic offset; within the context of various non-fullerene based organic solar cells. You will investigate the energetics of organic semiconductors in pure and mixed phases via combined photoemission and surface photovoltage spectroscopy techniques. Furthermore, the subtle structural differences of donor and acceptors in their pure phases compared to well-mixed interfaces will be identified by Raman spectroscopy, followed by understanding their impact on the energetics. Surface photovoltage spectroscopy to understand the quasi-fermi level splitting upon illumination and its correlation with device open circuit voltage will be a novel experimental approach in the field of organic solar cells. This project can also involve theoretical simulations of molecules in terms of energy levels and molecular structures utilizing density functional theory.

Investigating the impact of the chemical structure on the electron phonon coupling and its impact on the charge transfer processes

This project aims to study the impact of changing the chemical structure of the donor or the acceptor molecules on the reorganisation energies of the charge transfer processes. The problem will be addressed in two ways, first by studying the dynamics of charge transport within single materials, and second by studying the efficiency of charge transfer at a heterojunction as a function of material combination.

Lasing in highly-charged colloidal quantum dots devices

Recently we have been studying colloidal CdSe/CdS quantum dots, which can hold highly charged excitons. We have just observed a 210-fold increase of the emission rate from a CdSe/CdS quantum dot under bias in an electrochemical cell, which has potential for very efficient lasing. This project aims to push this result further and study lasing in highly charged quantum dots materials.

Sorted nanotubes for nanoelectronics

This project explores a new strategy to separate single-wall nanotubes exploiting new methods to create true solutions. The sorted segments may then be assembly using a unique supramolecular strategy to form function nanoelectronics junctions and devices.

Hybrid organic/inorganic semiconducting nanoparticles for solar hydrogen production

The student will synthesise a wide range of hybrid semiconducting polymer nanoparticless with different inorganic nanoparticles over a wide concentration range.  The effectiveness in hydrogen evolution will be assessed.  Once an appropriate hybrid is found, photogenerated excitons and their separation into charges will be studied spectroscopically.

Redesigning Electrochemical Interfaces in Future Batteries

This project will focus on designing a solid electrolyte based on a widely available  biopolymers such as Lignin or Cellulose which could be converted into gel electrolytes and modified with conductive functional groups for Na ion conduction. We will  determine its ionic conductivity for Na using impedance spectroscopy and quantify the ionic take-up under charging. We will correlate information about the polymer structure to the electrolyte performance with the aid of models to simulate ionic transport and the polymer:ion interactions.  The best resulting solid biopolymer electrolyte will be incorporated and tested in a two-terminal battery device built with conjugated polymer electrodes.

Printed and wearable electronics with 2D materials

In this project we aim at developing printable n-type semiconducting inks suitable for inkjet printing based on MoS2 semiconducting electronic 2D materials with superior properties in terms of environmental stability and field effect mobility of the organic semiconductors. We will use these inks to demonstrate inkjet printed electronic circuits based on p-type and n-type FETs.

Photophysics of organic near-infrared photodetectors

By combining the expertise of two host groups on device fabrication and characterisation, the project will aim to elucidate the photophysics of these material systems by using time-resolved ultrafast spectroscopy and transient photoluminescence. This will be complemented with the  current-voltage and EQE measurements on actual detector devices.

Charge Dynamics in Metal Oxide Heterojunctions – What Limits Efficiency in Low-Cost Solar-Driven Hydrogen Production?

During this project, the student will synthesise a range of heterojunction systems and use advanced spectroscopic tools to find out how the type of heterojunction and variations in preparation procedure effect the water splitting efficiency.

Engineering mobile defect behaviour in metal halide perovskite materials

The project will focus on developing approaches to engineer the nature, concentration and mobility of defects in 2D/3D perovskites by varying composition and stoichiometry (applying different cations and anions in the 2D perovskite), and additives. The materials will be incorporated into solar cells and memristors for characterisation. The project will also involve the application of new temperature dependent measurement techniques to measure defect mobility and concentration.

Atomistic understanding of resistance switching in nanowire based electrochemical metallization memories

This project will focus on the Ag/ZnO-NW/Pt system which has been experimentally designed in a very controlled way and model the Ag-ZnO-gas phase triple interface to study the process Ag→Ag++ etherein.

We will also address the effect of the presence of an applied electric field. Our results will be compared with switching voltage magnitudes in real NW ZnO devices.

Dual Atom Catalysts for CO2 Reduction

In this project we will build nitrogenase mimics consisting of two carbon atoms supported on graphene dopes with a heteroatom such as S to mimic the V cluster. We will then theoretically investigate the thermodynamics and kinetics of the ECO2R reaction.

Investigation of the photostability of perovskite solar cell

Here in this project photoluminescence together with other spectroscopic measurements will be mainly used to probe the charge carrier distribution changes in perovskite thus to indicating the origins of the photo-induced instability in a whole device. Different perovskite materials and device structures under several operation conditions will be investigated.

Chiral TADF Polymers for Circularly Polarised Luminescence with High Dissymmetry Factors

This project will seek to design and synthesise novel polymeric systems simultaneously capable of efficient TADF and strong CPL. The project will require chiral small molecule, monomer and polymer synthesis. The synthesised materials will subsequently be incorporated into thin film and device studies.

Tuning perovskite compositions for filterless photodetectors

Combined with a suite of optoelectronic measurements the project will aim to deliver composition and thickness related figures of merit for dark current, responsivity and detectivity allowing a holistic overview of structure-processing-property relationships in perovskite materials.

Ternary organic photodetectors

In this project, a variety of third components with different molecular packings, energy alignments and absorption profiles will be used in ternary blends to reveal the photophysics of high performance ternary organic photodetectors.

Solar driven disinfection – exploring an alternative use for plastic electronic materials

In this project, you will explore how plastic electronics can be applied to a novel application in chemical-free disinfection strategies. you will fabricate films based on novel organic and inorganic nanomaterials in chemistry labs, and perform biochemical assays to ascertain the effects of cell-generated superoxide on cell death and proliferation.

Synthesis of near-IR acceptors for Organic Solar Cells Photodiodes

This project will focus on the synthesis of novel near-IR and ultralow band gap (ULBG) organic semiconductors to optimize the absorption of IR photons for both organic photodiodes and semi-transparent organic solar cell applications.

Identifying intra-bandgap trap states in perovskite solar cells

The project will focus on 2D/3D perovskites with varying composition and stoichiometry (applying different cations and anions in the 2D perovskite) for solar cell applications. In particular we will investigate the energetics and defect/trap  states of the perovskite layer and correlate them to device efficiency and stability.

Understanding polymer-ion interactions for improved charge storage devices

The student will study the ion transport and charging characteristics of a series of conjugated polymers of systematically varied side chain and backbone structure, using electrochemical and spectroscopic methods; characterise ion transport in biopolymer based electrolytes; study the mechanical resilience and degree of swelling of the polymer electrodes under charging; investigate the electrode redox stability in ambient conditions and how that relates to chemical structure and energetics.

Electrical control of single-photon emission in highly-charged individual colloidal quantum dots

We have observed a 210-fold increase of the emission rate from a CdSe/CdS quantum dot under bias in an electrochemical cell. Now we want to push this result further and reach a deterministic control over the charge state and emission properties for classical and quantum communication technologies.

Sorted nanotubes for nanoelectronics

This project explores a new strategy to separate single-wall nanotubes exploiting new methods to create true solutions. The sorted segments may then be assembly using a unique supramolecular strategy to form function nanoelectronics junctions and devices.

Investigating the reaction mechanism of glycerol electrooxidation on atomic layer deposited single and dual-metal atom catalysts

In this project, we will develop Pt single-site and Pt-Sn dual-site catalysts and evaluate their performance for glycerol oxidation at the atomic scale. Theoretical and experimental methods will be combined to reveal the structural changes and the influence on the reaction mechanism.

Charge transport in printed two-dimensional materials for stretchable and wearable electronics

This project will join the expertise in synthesis of graphene and 2D materials thin films via printed electronics with the expertise in charge transport and semiconductors characterisation to investigate and establish a suitable transport model for thin films of 2D materials.

Optical Control of Electronic Properties in Graphene and 2D materials

This project will focus on developing new functionalities of 2D materials by combining novel optical control techniques and new methods for the synthesis of 2D materials developed in our labs. For this, student will get involved in fabrication of 2D materials thin films and then perform ultrafast spectroscopic experiments using transient absorption and optical control methods in visible, IR and THz spectral ranges.