Molecular-based Optical Sensitization of Wide-Bandgap Materials

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This award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program supports research by Professor James K. McCusker at Michigan State University geared toward understanding the first step, which is important for future photovoltaic cell design, in the photoconversion process of optically sensitized materials, i.e. does reactivity require excited-state thermalization, or can injection proceed from the Franck-Condon state of the sensitizer. The research involves three phases: I) detailed femtosecond dynamics studies, in solution, of sensitizer candidates for solar cell development; II) studies of the complexes examined in Phase I attached to zirconium oxide nanoparticles; and III) studies of the complexes examined in Phase I attached to titanium oxide nanoparticles as components of functional regenerative solar cells.Success in this research would contribute greatly toward reducing the cost of a promising solar cell system. This research also provides interdisciplinary training in chemistry, physics and solar cell devices for a graduate or postdoctoral student.