CAREER: Heavy Metal Complexes as Triplet Absorbers for Organic Photovoltaics

这一无机化学、生物无机化学和金属有机化学项目的职业奖项支持亚利桑那州立大学的李健教授开发一系列稳定的金属络合物和聚合物材料，作为光伏应用的活性材料。拟议的金属络合物吸收材料将被设计成具有更宽的吸收光谱，从而改善与太阳光源的匹配，并由于金属离子的加入而改变有机吸收材料的激子性质，这将导致激子在材料中的扩散长度较长。具体研究目标包括：(1)合成新型有机/金属有机化合物并研究其光物理和电化学性质；(2)测量材料的电荷迁移率和激子扩散长度，并将材料的结构变化与有机薄膜的性能关联起来；(3)研究有机固体中电荷传输和能量转移的机制和过程；(4)在本计划结束时实现功率转换效率在10%或更高的有机光伏电池。这项研究直接解决了在提高有机太阳能电池的电力转换效率方面的一些关键挑战。从事这个项目的学生将学习现代有机合成，设备物理和工程，以及材料和设备表征。教育目标包括：(1)开发一个关于太阳能的教育单元，以接触到大量的K-8学生和教师(每年超过20,000人)；(2)通过提供暑期辅导和为高中高级选修班创建教育单元，向当地高中推广。太阳能教育模块将与现有的Science is Fun计划整合。该项目每年培训本科实习生访问70多所学校，并向20,000多名学生和教师进行数百次演讲。教育外展将以代表性不足的主要群体为目标，包括少数群体和女学生。

This CAREER award in the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program supports Professor Jian Li at Arizona State University to develop a range of stable metal-complex and polymeric materials as active materials for photovoltaic applications. The proposed metal-complex absorbers will be designed to have extended absorption spectra, resulting in an improved matching to the solar source, and modified exciton properties of organic absorbers due to the incorporation of metal ions, which will lead to long exciton diffusion lengths in the materials. Specific research aims include: (1) synthesizing novel organic/organometallic compounds and studying their photophysical and electrochemical properties; (2) measuring the charge mobility and exciton diffusion length of the proposed materials, and correlating the structural changes of materials and properties of organic thin films; (3) studying the mechanisms and processes of charge transport and energy transfer in the organic solids; (4) achieving organic photovoltaic cells with 10% power conversion efficiency or higher at the end of this program. This research directly addresses some critical challenges in improving the power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells. Students working on this project will learn modern organic synthesis, device physics and engineering, as well as materials and device characterization. The educational aims include: (1) developing an educational module on solar electricity to reach a large number of K-8 students and teachers (over 20,000 per year); (2) outreach to local high schools by providing summer mentorship and creating educational modules for high school advanced-placement classes. The educational module, Solar Electricity, will be integrated with current existing Science is Fun program. This program trains undergraduate interns to visit more than 70 schools annually and give several hundred presentations to over 20,000 students and teachers. Educational outreach will target key underrepresented groups, including minority as well as female students.