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
Rand 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
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February 20 2026
10:00 AM ET
Materials Science and Engineering
High-Fidelity Atomistic Simulations of Chemistry-Microstructure Interactions in Metals, presented by Rodrigo Freitas, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
CUC McConomy Auditorium
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February 20 2026
5:30 PM - 9:30 PM ET
Highmark Center for Health, Wellness and Athletics (100 Tech St, Pittsburgh, PA 15213)
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February 24 2026
12:00 PM ET
Materials Science and Engineering
"Modeling the Nonequilibrium Dynamics and Rheology of Associative Polymer Networks," presented by Songyue Liu
6142 Scott Hall
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February 25 2026
2:00 PM ET
Faculty Insights with Mario Berges
Please join us for CMU Engineering's virtual program, “Faculty Insights: A 20 Minute Briefing.” In this series, faculty will share insights into their research, its impact, and provide perspective for the future of the field.
Virtual, link provided to registrants
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February 27 2026
10:00 AM ET
Materials Science and Engineering
AI meets Peer Review: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, presented by Nihar Shah, Carnegie Mellon University
CUC McConomy Auditorium
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March 13 2026
10:00 AM ET
Materials Science and Engineering
presented by Rachel Goldman, University of Michigan
CUC McConomy Auditorium