In plain words
A normal solar panel is made of silicon — heavy, rigid and dark blue. Organic solar cells do the same job using a thin film of carbon-based molecules, a bit like a very precise ink. Because chemists can change these molecules one atom at a time, the cells can be tuned to catch exactly the colours of light that are available — bright sunshine outdoors, or the warm glow of LED bulbs indoors.
Our group designs and makes those molecules. Then we, and our device partners, build them into small working solar cells and measure how much electricity they produce.
The science
We design donor–π–acceptor (D–π–A) sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells, and non-fused and fused small-molecule acceptors for bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells. Typical tools include:
- Molecular engineering of donors, π-bridges and anchoring groups to control light absorption, energy levels and aggregation.
- Direct C–H arylation to make acceptors in fewer steps, with less waste.
- Indoor photovoltaics — dyes matched to the narrow emission of white LEDs, working with copper-based redox electrolytes.
- Processing from non-halogenated solvents, so the films can be made in a greener way.
What we’re working on now
Recent work from the group reports arylamine-based D–π–A dyes that reach around 34% efficiency under indoor light, and conformationally locked non-fused acceptors made by direct C–H arylation. See the related papers below.