Graduate Student Seminar

March 22, 2024

10:00 a.m. ET

Doherty Hall 2210

Organic semiconductor thin films: crystal growth and interactions with halide perovskites

In this seminar, we will focus on two aspects of our recent research on organic semiconductors.

For one, through proper control of processing, we are able to realize pinhole free organic semiconductor films with single crystal grains with mm dimensions. We have found that transport in these films is considerably improved compared to disordered films, and that organic solar cells incorporating these long-range-ordered films exhibit highly delocalized, and band-like charge transfer (CT) states, contributing to noticeably lower energy losses. We will discuss these aspects and our understanding to-date of which molecules are amenable to the formation of such films, and how to propagate their growth.

Also, organic hole transport materials (HTMs) are commonplace in halide perovskite optoelectronic devices, but what is less well known is that shallow HTMs that facilitate hole extraction from the perovskite also enable halogen transport. We will present our understanding of this phenomenon, as well as impacts to devices. 

Barry Rand - Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University

RandRand earned a BE in electrical engineering from The Cooper Union in 2001. Then he received MA and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from Princeton University, in 2003 and 2007, respectively. From 2007 to 2013, he was at imec in Leuven, Belgium, ultimately as a principal scientist, researching the understanding, optimization, and manufacturability of thin-film solar cells. Since 2013, he is in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University, currently as a Professor. Prof. Rand’s research interests highlight the border between electrical engineering, materials science, chemistry, and applied physics, covering electronic and optoelectronic thin-films and devices. He has authored over 160 refereed journal publications, has 25 issued US patents, and has received the 3M Nontenured Faculty Award (2014), DuPont Young Professor Award (2015), DARPA Young Faculty Award (2015), and ONR Young Investigator Program Award (2016).

Upcoming Events

  • March 13 2025

    3:30 PM ET

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    "MaterialEyes - Seeing the Invisible using Experiment, Theory and AI," presented by Maria Chan, Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory

    Mehl Room - 2327 Wean

  • March 14 2025

    10:00 AM ET

    Materials Science and Engineering

    Graduate Student Seminar

    A Journey from Atoms to Materials: Computationally-Guided Discovery and Design of Functional Materials, presented by Prashun Gorai, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

    McConomy Auditorium, First Floor Cohon University Center

  • March 21 2025

    10:00 AM ET

    Materials Science and Engineering

    Graduate Student Seminar

    Thermophysical and Thermochemical Properties of Transition Metal Diborides up to and above 3000 degrees, presented by Scott J. McCormack, University of California, Davis

    McConomy Auditorium, First Floor Cohon University Center

  • March 28 2025

    10:00 AM ET

    Materials Science and Engineering

    Graduate Student Seminar

    Deciphering microscopic mechanisms driving assembly and flow of soft materials, presented by Vikram Jadhao, Indiana University, Bloomington

    McConomy Auditorium, First Floor Cohon University Center

  • April 11 2025

    10:00 AM ET

    Materials Science and Engineering

    Graduate Student Seminar

    The Green Steel Revolution, presented by Sara Hornby-Anderson

    McConomy Auditorium, First Floor Cohon University Center

  • April 18 2025

    10:00 AM ET

    Materials Science and Engineering

    Graduate Student Seminar

    presented by Robert Macfarlane, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    McConomy Auditorium, First Floor Cohon University Center